Rotor Work
21st Apr 2014, 08:41
From ABC News
Teen stowaway survives flight over Pacific in freezing jet wheel bay - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-21/teenager-survives-flight-over-pacific-in-jet-wheel-bay/5402232)
A teenage boy who ran away from home has survived a five-hour flight in the freezing wheel bay of a jetliner that reached 38,000 feet as it travelled from California to Hawaii, the FBI says.
The 16-year-old, from Santa Clara, California, quickly lost consciousness as temperatures in the compartment sank as low as -62 degrees Celsius, FBI special agent Tom Simon said.
About an hour after the plane landed on Sunday morning, the boy regained consciousness and emerged onto the tarmac at the airport in Maui, where he was spotted by ground crew.
"It's just an apparent miracle... There was no appearance of any special gear of any sort," Mr Simon said.
The stowaway told FBI officials that he had run away from home, climbed a fence at the airport in San Jose, California, crossed the tarmac and crawled into the wheel bay of Hawaiian Airlines flight 45.
Security footage from San Jose airport verified the events, Mr Simon said.
"His story checked out," and no federal charges were filed, he said.
The boy was turned over to local child protection officials, and a medical examination showed he appeared to have been unharmed by the ordeal.
His only possession when he landed in Hawaii was a comb for his hair.
"Our primary concern now is for the well-being of the boy, who is exceptionally lucky to have survived," Hawaiian Airlines said in a statement.
Teen stowaway survives flight over Pacific in freezing jet wheel bay - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-21/teenager-survives-flight-over-pacific-in-jet-wheel-bay/5402232)
A teenage boy who ran away from home has survived a five-hour flight in the freezing wheel bay of a jetliner that reached 38,000 feet as it travelled from California to Hawaii, the FBI says.
The 16-year-old, from Santa Clara, California, quickly lost consciousness as temperatures in the compartment sank as low as -62 degrees Celsius, FBI special agent Tom Simon said.
About an hour after the plane landed on Sunday morning, the boy regained consciousness and emerged onto the tarmac at the airport in Maui, where he was spotted by ground crew.
"It's just an apparent miracle... There was no appearance of any special gear of any sort," Mr Simon said.
The stowaway told FBI officials that he had run away from home, climbed a fence at the airport in San Jose, California, crossed the tarmac and crawled into the wheel bay of Hawaiian Airlines flight 45.
Security footage from San Jose airport verified the events, Mr Simon said.
"His story checked out," and no federal charges were filed, he said.
The boy was turned over to local child protection officials, and a medical examination showed he appeared to have been unharmed by the ordeal.
His only possession when he landed in Hawaii was a comb for his hair.
"Our primary concern now is for the well-being of the boy, who is exceptionally lucky to have survived," Hawaiian Airlines said in a statement.