Former Pilot: "Hiding Aircraft Landing Gear Causes Oxygen Deficiency and Hypothermia Leading to Loss of Consciousness... Extremely Dangerous Behavior"
A stowaway from Guatemala who secretly hid in an airplane wheel endured a freezing cold of minus 50°C and set foot on American soil. Photo by NBC Miami
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] A man in his 20s who secretly hid in the landing gear of a passenger plane and attempted to stow away from Guatemala to Miami, USA, was found alive after enduring the harsh conditions inside the landing gear.
On the 27th (local time), NBC, Reuters, and others reported that a 26-year-old Guatemalan man who secretly hid inside the landing gear of a passenger plane endured altitudes of 9,100 to 12,800 meters, freezing temperatures of minus 50°C, and lack of oxygen, and set foot on American soil.
The man was discovered around 10:06 a.m. inside the landing gear of American Airlines flight 1182, which landed at Miami International Airport in Florida.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stated in a press release, "We arrested a Guatemalan man who attempted to escape from the landing gear," adding, "After emergency medical teams assessed his condition, he was transported to a hospital for medical treatment." The spokesperson also warned, "Riding in confined spaces such as aircraft landing gear is an extremely dangerous act."
A man in his 20s with Guatemalan nationality is sitting down on the floor, weakened, immediately after arriving at Miami International Airport in Florida, USA. /Photo by NBC Miami capture
The flight time from Guatemala to Miami Airport is 2 hours and 30 minutes. The man collapsed as soon as he set foot on the ground after landing. Video footage shows airport staff giving him water to drink and warming him with cloth as he lost his balance and fell.
Experts say it is close to a miracle that the man survived. At the typical cruising altitude of 9,300 meters, the outside temperature drops to minus 60 degrees Celsius. Former American Airlines pilot Wayne Jiskal said, "People hiding in aircraft landing gear usually lose consciousness due to lack of oxygen or hypothermia," emphasizing, "If the landing gear operates, there is a very high chance of falling outside the aircraft, resulting in a tragic death. It is a very dangerous act."
According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), from 1947 to February of this year, a total of 129 stowaways were caught hiding in the landing gear bays of airplanes during takeoff or landing. Of these, about 78%, or 100 people, died.
Earlier in August, the bodies of Afghan people who had secretly boarded the landing gear of a U.S. cargo plane carrying 640 Afghan nationals departing from Afghanistan were found. At that time, The New York Times (NYT) reported that they appeared to have been crushed inside the landing gear.
The man is expected to receive a swift deportation order. An immigration official explained, "The stowaway will be detained under the supervision of the Department of Homeland Security and the relevant border protection agency."
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