Stowaway body found at LHR

[newswatcher]

From the BBC:

"The body of a stowaway, believed to be of African origin, has been found in the undercarriage of a freight plane in Heathrow Airport. Engineers found the body of the man when they checked the DAS Air Cargo flight after it landed at the airport at 0600 BST on Sunday said police.

He is thought to have frozen to death - temperatures in undercarriage bays can reach -40C at high altitude. A spokesman for the west London airport said that Scotland Yard has launched an investigation into the death.

It is believed that the flight originated in Entebbe, Uganda, stopping at Cairo, then the Belgian port of Ostend. It is not known where the man stowed got on to the plane.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "We believe he is a stowaway. We are working to establish his identity." "

[southern duel]

Just for info :
The aircraft had routed since last thursday LGW-LOS-EBB-CAI-OST-LHR. It was A DC10 N404JR
The flight landed at LHR at 06.28 and the Body was found in the Starboard undercarriage in a recess by a Das Air engineer.

The aircraft was due to leave aftera 2 hour turnround back to Lagos but was delayed until lunchtime.

One thing that springs to mind is that it was a good job the body didnt fall out on 27L !!!!!!! . It would have closed the runway for a few hours.

[Alpha Leader]

L337: any link to this CAA study?

The first inconsistency that springs to mind is that there cannot be any residual brake temperature after taking off!

[EGGW]

Errrmm, sounds like an oxymoron that does. If you have brake temp. indicators on your aircraft, you will know that brake temps slowly fall. So theory does hold reasonably together IMO. http://www.stopstart.btinternet.co.uk/sm/mcqueen.gif

[Alpha Leader]

MJ: that's why it would be interesting to see that study and in particular the heat dissipation curves observed.

My point is that as this was a cargo-only aircraft and that turn-around times for cargo operations are not usually 45 minute jobs, I'm finding it hard to believe that this fatality could be down to residual brake temperature.

[newswatcher]

I would also be interested to read the CAA report.

The two Cuban students found at, or near, Gatwick at Christmas 2000, and the two Indian refugees(Heathrow 1996), one of whom miraculously survived, were all described as "frozen", with temperatures claimed to have reached -40C, by the BBC.

[phd]

Regardless of how hot or cold it is in the undercarriage bay - surely what kills stowaways is the lack of oxygen? I am not aware that the u/c bay is pressurised on most types and at 35,000 ft you will die of hypoxia within minutes. THEN if the temperature is -40 your body fluids will start to freeze.

To survive this type of environment you would need pressurised breathing apparatus and sufficient breathing air or oxygen for several hours above 30,000 ft+, and you would probably need your thermal undies on.

Anybody else know different?

[M.Mouse]

Temperature in the u/c bay of 200-300ºC ???

Er, what temperature does rubber melt?

[Roadtrip]

Assuming a wheel well rider isn't crushed by the gear mechanism.

Assuming they don't fall out when the gear is lowered.

Assuming they don't go terminally hypoxic.

Doubt seriously if a gear compartment would get anywhere close to 300C in normal operations. Freighter brakes do get pretty warm on landing because they are usually landing at max gw for landing, and turn times can be less than 2 hours, but the brakes cool a significant amount by then. Taxi-out heating is something to keep you eye on, but usually not significant.

Getting cooked in the WW compartment? Not sure I believe it, but provocative thought.

[Flying Lawyer]

I represented BA in the Cuban stowaways case referred to by Newswatcher.
Expert medical opinion given at the Inquest was that the stowaways died long before they were frozen because of the rate of change of atmospheric pressure in the climb. (The aircraft was a 777). The pathologist estimated that they were probably dead before 10,000'.
Although people survive at high altitude without oxygen, for example when climbing high mountains, that is because the body gradually adjusts to the gradual change.
The pathologist told the Court that there was no medical explanation for the survival of the Indian stowaway; it was a fluke which could not be explained. Although he survived, he suffered severe brain damage.
There was no mention of the effects of heat. Seems very unlikely.

I've not seen or heard about the CAA report mentioned.
Any pointers to where it can be found?

Tudor Owen

[Wino]

There is also a lot of Hydraulic machinery and high pressure bleed air lines in the wheel wells plus the the proximity of the packs. On the A300 and the A320 both of which had wheel brake temp guages I don't ever recall seeing below about 30 degrees C in flight usually up around 50.

As to tire temps on takeoff. The boeing 727 had a boeing limitation of taxiing for takeoff of 35000 feet (IE 7 miles). This was because of frictional heating on the tires. If you exceded that limit you were to wait 44 mintues for takeoff. Most people don't know the limitation because there are relatively few places you can excede it. However, at Denver international from the freight ramp it is possible.

Cheers
Wino

[Dom Joly]

I always thought that it was the press that reported these incidents as being "frozen to death", due to there lack of knowledge on the subject.

I've always believed that severe hypoxia leading to fatality would set in long before hyperthermia. How many aircraft have pressurised wheel well bays? and why if any would they be needed?

[FLARE DAMIT]

"Of african origin ", well that,s about 6 billion of us if the archeologists are correct in saying that mankind (and women kind) originated out of Africa. So i suppose "it" had blonde hair , green eyes and was carring a beef vindaloo and rice wine for onboard munchies: bloody political correctness will drive us all insane very sooooooooooooon. Right just off to my pyscho-again.

[The Nr Fairy]

Flat Spin :

Sudden Deaths are ALWAYS investigated in the UK, no matter who the deceased. It shows a basic respect for the value of human life.

[somewhatconcerned]

I wouldn't like to begin to speculate on the cause of death but the overheat/boiled to death scenario does hold water.

Fluid friction and pressure can cause very high temperatures in hydraulic pipes along with conducted heat from the hydraulic pumps. This is why hydraulic systems have coolers and reservoirs which are designed to dissapate heat. It is a prerequisite of a hydraulic fluid to have a very high flash point for the previously mentioned reasons.

In addition to that brake temperatures do become exceedingly hot and dependant on the material retain that heat for a longer or shorter period of time. None the less pre take off brake temperatures will exceed aftertake off temps due to friction. Not only does turning and braking etc add to the temperature but the take off roll itself will increase it.

Brakes have no 'real' release mechanism, the realease relies on the fact that there is no further pressure on them. So even without the brakes applied there is a conciderable amount of force on the actuators and pads after braking. (say for arguments sake the braking force often applied during line up).
Try applying the brakes in your car, then remove a wheel and try to turn the brake disk, initially it is near enough impossible even if you didn't have the engine running and the servo opperating when you pressed the peddle.

So until pressure equalizes in the system or a microscopic layer of brake lining wears off or a combination of the two there will be alot of friction even during take off and therefore a lot of heat generated.

I have to make an assumption now that the amount of heat that rubber. used in the manufacture of aircraft tyres is far greater than any human can withstand for any length of time. Therefore personaly I have to say that it is entirely possible that this person could well have died due to the heat in the early portion of the flight well before he suffered the PD/Hypoxia/Freezing theories.

[Alpha Leader]

The only way we'll find out for sure is to place temperature recorders in wheel bays of several types of a/c.

[innuendo]

:confused:
posted 15th April 2002 17:13
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I represented BA in the Cuban stowaways case referred to by Newswatcher.
Expert medical opinion given at the Inquest was that the stowaways died long before they were frozen because of the rate of change of atmospheric pressure in the climb. (The aircraft was a 777). The pathologist estimated that they were probably dead before 10,000'

I am not a pathologist and therefore am reluctant to challenge his statement however I am amazed that a RATE of change produced by a 777 could cause death before 10,000 feet.
My old military aircraft could do lift off to FL350 in about 2 minutes on a cold day and the cockpit pressurization was a small differential. Granted the wheel well is zero pressurization but a 777 is no rocket compared to the power to weight ratio of a fighter with two engines and afterburners. (The aircraft in question weighed 45,000lbs and had 34,000 lbs thrust on an ISA day)
To look at the other side of the coin, a spreadeagled skydiver in free fall at, say half terminal velocity of about 60 mph, (give or take, not sure what they actually do) is dropping at a bit over 5000 fpm and suffers no ill effects. As I say I am a bit baffled at the pathologists statement. I have never heard of a climb rate being fatal in the lower atmosphere.

[innuendo]

My apologies, The first paragraph was excerpted from Flying Lawyers post and should have been attributed and addressed to him. Thanks

[newswatcher]

I think FL meant metres. I have not found the complete inquest report, but in this excerpt:

"Pathologist Colin Hunter-Craig, who carried out a post-mortem examination on Alberto, told the court that the boys would have died minutes after take-off as oxygen levels plummeted.

He said both boys suffered injuries consistent with a fall but would have died after slipping into unconsciousness. He said: "I surmise they died on the way up. This aircraft climbed to 37,000ft in 20 minutes. That's higher than Everest.

"Some climbers can reach the top of Everest without oxygen but they adjust slowly. If you go up as suddenly as these boys did you don't have time to adjust. They died through lack of oxygen or hypoxia.

"They would have just fallen asleep. They would not have been aware of what was going on. To be whipped up that high so fast would be disastrous."

There is also a quote from the investigating officer, mentioning the presence of a "hot air pipe" within the wheel bay. However it also repeats the assertion that the temperature would have reached -57C, but does not say how this was determined.

[HotDog]

However it also repeats the assertion that the temperature would have reached -57, but does not say how this was determined.

Tropopause standard -56C

[E cam]

If rate of climb alone were to kill, we would not survive rapid decompressions, would we?

[Flying Lawyer]

Newswatcher
The pathologist did say 10,000 feet (not metres). That's consistent with the excerpt you quote: "Pathologist ..... told the court that the boys would have died minutes after take-off as oxygen levels plummeted."

Interesting discussion.

[Ranger One]

Very interesting FL... I'm somewhat reluctant to criticise a presumably highly-qualified member of a profession which isn't mine, but I do find his assertion that they were dead by 10,000'... strange at best, and contrary to everything I've been taught about how the human body reacts to pressure changes.

The language is strange also... 'oxygen levels plummeted' is the kind of phrase I would associate with the tabloid press. Oxygen levels are the same to at least the top of the stratosphere... what changes is the oxygen partial pressure. Sloppy language from a scientist.

R1

[Flying Lawyer]

In fairness to the pathologist (whether his opinion as to the cause of death is correct or not) I don't think he used the description "plummeted" - I think that is a journo's interpretation of what he said!

[newswatcher]

In the context of the report I posted, certain of the pathologist's comments were in quotes, and therefore hopefully unadulterated. The word "plummeted" was definitely not in quotes, and therefore the risk of fabrication is entirely possible!

[Flying Lawyer]

Can I try to get back to the main point. It doesn't really matter for the purpose of this discussion , what precise words the pathologist used.
His propositions were:
(1) The notion that stowaways in wheel-wells are frozen to death is a popular misconception; they die of hypoxia long before they freeze.
(2) Death is caused by the rate at which the aircraft reaches high altitude.
ie It's the speed of change which kills. The body can adjust to high altitude provided the change is gradual. The illustration he used was: "It was like shooting up from sea level to more than the height of Everest in just a few minutes."

The accuracy or otherwise of his assertions didn't matter for the purpose of the issues which had to be decided at the Inquest. I'm not qualified to comment upon his propositions, but I'm interested in the views of those who are.

[FixernotFinder]

Dom Joly, That should read Hypothermia I think. :rolleyes:

[Covenant]

I think some people are missing the point here.

The pathologist surely didn't mean to say that it was the actual rate of climb that caused the stowaways to die. Rather, he was referring to the fact that, although the human body can survive at high altitudes, it can only do this if it is allowed to acclimatise to the lower oxygen levels. Being taken up to that altitude at any rate achieved by an aircraft, be it military or civilian, does not allow the body to acclimatise and therefore the victim will suffocate (hypoxia) probably before freezing to death (hypothermia).

I understand that climbers who try to climb Everest allow themselves a week at the higher camp to become fully acclimatised before they attempt the summit.

[Dan Winterland]

WRT wheel well temps, I think you will find most fusible plugs melt between 165 and 190 degrees C depending on rating. If temps did reach 2-300 degs, then all the tyres would deflate!

My type has the bleed duct running through the wells. Although it is double skinned, bleed air typically reaches 300 degs, there must be some heating from this.

[Dom Joly]

Thanks FIXER. Rushed approach!!

[t'aint natural]

The survivor of the BA Delhi - London flight is Pardeep Saini, who lives in Ealing. He is quite severely brain-damaged, although his uncle says his family can understand what he is trying to say. He apparently has no recollection of the flight.
When the Home Office tried to deport him a campaign was begun to allow him to remain in the UK on the grounds that if a condemned man could be reprieved when the trapdoor failed to open three times, then Pardeep Saini should be extended the same courtesy.
The campaign was bolstered by a letter of support from the captain of the BA flight on which Saini illegally entered Britain.
The body of Pardeep's brother fell into the grounds of what was in 1996 a gasworks in Manor Road, Kew - 5m 27L. The body of a later stowaway landed within 100 yards of where he fell, which is now a Sainsbury's car park.

[mono]

I think you are all missing the point here.

If the pathologist said rate then that's what he means. A rapid reduction in air pressure forces nitrogen into the blood. It's called the bends and divers have been aware of the problem for years.
If a case of the bends is not treated fairly rapidly then death can be the result.

A rapid decompression will not usually result in the bends because the greatest change in pressure occurs in the first 6-8000ft, plus oxygen is administered and pressure is normalised as quickly as possible. (assuming you follow the SOP)

That I suspect is why the word rate was used.
:rolleyes:

[bblank]

These incidents are sad but I don't see why trying to understand
the cause of death is disrespectful.

"A rapid reduction in air pressure forces nitrogen into the blood. It's
called the bends"

I don't think so. It is the very great water pressure at depth which
causes the nitrogen to dissolve. Decompression sickness occurs when
that dissolved nitrogen expands too rapidly due to reducing pressure
during ascent. Though both are caused by the effects of pressure,
decompression sickness and high altitude sickness are quite distinct.

Flying lawyer, I don't have the background to directly dispute the
propositions you list,

(1) "The notion that stowaways in wheel-wells are frozen to death is a
popular misconception; they die of hypoxia long before they freeze."
(2) "Death is caused by the rate at which the aircraft reaches high
altitude. ie It's the speed of change which kills. The body can
adjust to high altitude provided the change is gradual."

But there is certainly evidence to contradict these assertions as
general statements. Of course the pathologist would know if
the two particular deaths he examined were caused by hypoxia.

As to proposition (1), the Tahitian stowaway discussed below
suffered from hypoxia but did not die from it. However, his body
temperature fell 6 degrees fahrenheit below what is usually fatal.

As to assertion (2), there are several rapid body adaptations to
high altitude that can be effective against hypoxia. It is true
that other adaptations require a gradual acclimatization but the
relatively large number of wheel well stowaways who do not die of
hypoxia provides an inarguable counterexample to assertion (2)
as a generality.

An analogy with mountain climbers has been made but it is not
appropriate. Mountain-climbing places enormous aerobic demands on the
climber. It is very different from a state of near hibernation. The
most important reason that high altitude climbers ascend gradually
is to avoid pulmonary and cerebral edemas.

There is a good online reference for high altitude illnesses:
http://www.aafp.org/afp/980415ap/harris.html
Reference 8 of this article was inspired by FAA technical report
DOT/FAA/AM-96/25. It concerns eleven wheel well stowaways
(through 1993) of which five survived. I couldn't find the report
online but the abstract is here:
http://www.faa.gov/aar/abstract.htm

In 1993 (IIRC) a man (possibly Russian) fell from the wheel well of a
plane landing at CDG. I remember reading that contact with the ground
was given as the cause of death. In particular, the coroner ruled out
hypoxia. This event was widely reported at the time because the body
was discovered by a woman investigating why her phone line went dead
during a conversation. Can't find anything about this online but I'm
pretty sure I clipped a report from Le Point way back when.

In 2000 a Romanian stowed away in the wheel well of a German 737. I
forget the airline. His presence prevented retraction of the landing
gear. The pilot returned but by the time he was able to land - about
20 minutes - the man was already suffering from hypothermia.

Also in 2000 there was a Tahitian who stowed away in the wheel well
of an Air France 747. When he was pulled out in LAX his inner body
temperature was 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Here's part of the report from
AP. I didn't record the URL but if you Google Tahiti +stowaway
+747 several links come up.


LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A nearly frozen stowaway survived subzero
temperatures and little oxygen at 38,000 feet inside the wheel well
of a jumbo jet on an eight-hour flight.

The 6-foot, 180-pound man, who remains unidentified, was responding
to treatment and communicating with doctors Friday, but he was
covered with gear oil and moaning when paramedics arrived at Los
Angeles International Airport Thursday night.

His core body temperature was 79 degrees when he arrived at the
UCLA Medical Center for treatment of hypothermia and dehydration,
hospital spokesman David Langness said.

With the jet traveling 600 mph at 38,000 feet, the air temperature
would have been about 50 degrees below zero, "and who knows with the
wind chill," Langness said.

"His clothes were shredded from the wind, and he was covered with
grease," he said. "It is a remarkable story. We don't know of any other
person whose body temperature dropped this low who has survived."

Anything below 85 degrees is usually fatal, Langness said.

The man was moved Friday afternoon from the intensive care unit to a
hospital ward floor, Langness said.

The man is able to write notes in French and English but responds
indirectly when asked about his identity, Langness said. He cannot
speak, and doctors are still testing his brain and organ functions.

Air France Flight 71 from Papeete, French Polynesia, arrived in Los
Angeles at 7:48 p.m. At the terminal gate, a maintenance worker
spotted a blanket hanging from a wheel well on the Boeing 747-400
and notified authorities when he found the man.

[Dan Winterland]

So Ojay is advocating that all fatal accidents should not be investigated then!

[Jet II]

I think that you will find that any high temps from the tires are soon gone after climb out - if you look at the landing gear after a long sector you will usually find it covered in ice.

Most large transport aircraft have the APU bleed duct running through the wheel bay - if the APU is running AND supplying pneumatics it will supply some heat to possibly keep anyone in the bay from freezing - although it will not help about the lack of oxygen.

:cool:

[UPP]

Did you used to be on the JY Prog? I only ask because I remember you from the media years back, but can't quite remember where.

I'll be up all night thinking where I know you from now.:)

[Moneyshot]

All sounds a bit academic really. Body temperature at boiling point/40 below freezing/No oxygen/rapid loss of pressure. Any of these would kill. This guy was on to a loser from the start and should have tried harder in science at school. A very silly boy.

[Romeo Mike]

With regards to landing gear bay temperatures. Large aircraft have fire wire in the ceiling of the main gear bays. As the aircraft leaves the ground, the wheel brakes automatically apply in order to reduce the hydraulic load during retraction. (The wheels are big, heavy gyros at this point). This will contribute to the brake temperature, but the load is obviously light compared to normal landing braking. However, as has been pointed out, fast turn rounds on aircraft that do not have brake fans combined with fast taxiing/heavy braking can contribute to an accumulated rise in take off temperatures.

[PA38]

I find it hard to understand the desperation that drives these poor people to certain deaths, but what I find more worrying is the fact they can access the inner workings of an aircraft.

I know from experience that the security at certain African airports is open to the highest bidder if it exists at all, and as a lot of African people are of religions that tend to be slightly fanatical, and with the current state of global politics. Then the security of the aircraft should be of more interest than the cause of demise of some poor desperate person.

I will probably be condemed as a racist bigot, but I am only saying what a LOT of people must think:(

[malanda]

Wino said :

On the A300 and the A320 both of which had wheel brake temp guages I don't ever recall seeing below about 30 degrees C in flight usually up around 50.

But do they read low temperatures accurately? (Are frozen brakes a hazard on a/c?)

[blue_side_up]

I don't fly jets, but I wonder about a comment from the report on the AF Tahitian stowaway. Wind chill was mentioned as a factor, but could this be valid? The gear is up within 30 seconds or so at take-off, and presuming it is lowered approx. 10-15 NM before landing, that equals about 5 mins at the end of the flight. I would have thought that wind chill could not be a factor in flight, as I would expect the wheel wells to be well sealed. After all, anything less would = extra drag which = extra fuel. And using extra fuel always gets the airlines attention.
The second comment is more a question. Regarding temps in the wheel bays, if a take-off were made from a very wet runway, would not the ice that forms around the brakes, etc, present a hazzard upon landing? I know the gear is lowered several minutes before touchdown, but with the wind chill, would that be enough to sufficiently melt it?
Anyone know the answers to this?:confused:

[Capt. Crosswind]

Hypoxia will set in after the acft climbs through 20,000 ft.
I was taking over an acft at Haneda circa 1971 when a stowaway from Taiwan fell from the port wheel well. The poor chap was frozen stiff ,but would have been dead from hypoxia before he froze to death.

[GlueBall]

Dead stowaways found in South America hardly make national news. April 5th of last year, a Cali (Colombia) newspaper had reported the death of two males who had climbed into the tiny wheelwell of a DC-8. One had received fatal injuries during gear retraction, the other had died from asphyxiation after landing. The gear wouldn't fully retract and the crew had returned for landing, only to find that the gear wouldn't lock down either. The runway was foamed. The one suviving, trapped stowaway who had survived the collapse of the nose gear, then died from lack of oxygen displaced by the foam. :(

[t'aint natural]

In the Saini case mentioned earlier, the brothers had been told by the people they'd paid to get them airside at Delhi that there was a passage from the wheelwell to the inside of the aircraft.

[Wino]

MALANDA.

When the aircraft has been sitting on the ground overnight during the winter they will certianly read down around 0.

Cheers
Wino

[overstress]

just to add my 2p-worth

Having flown mil unpressurized ac to 10,000ft without oxy, 24,000ft with, and then graduated to mil jets flying to 50,000ft with pressure breathing etc and having been rapidly decompressed 25000-45000 in 3 sec in the good old North Luffenham chamber, (and had to attend all the relevant aviation medicine lectures) - a lot of what has been spoken here is relevant.

I'm not so sure about relying on temperatures in wheelbrakes for indications as to heating in unpressurised wheelbays. My current type reaches high wheelbrake temps (300 deg C max for t/o) but I don't assume that the temperature on the ECAM reflects that in the wheelbay as a whole.

Rates of climb could be a red herring as hypoxia is likely above 8-10,000ft in a healthy person; a smoker or those with otherwise impaired lung function could be hypoxic at 2000ft.

The statement 'dead by 10000ft' as so many of us know from experience is plainly incorrect and must be a typing error.

The unfortunate stowaways die of hypoxia. Onset would be usually 8000ft upwards. Time and altitude are the factors - anyone can stay conscious @ 35000ft - for about 7 seconds!

The temperature in the wheelbays is nearer -50degrees than anything else - just outside the skin it is -57degrees and there is no heating to the bays.

The bodies sometimes freeze depending where the unfortunates cram themselves.

Perhaps manufacturers should place disclaimers in the wheelbays. Someone is bound to survive soon as a stowaway then sue the airline for duty of care when their limbs fall off.