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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsStowaway, 16, survives flying more than 5 hours in freezing temperatures in WHEEL WELL of plane
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2609270/BREAKING-NEWS-16-year-old-boy-survives-UNHARMED-flying-California-Hawaii-wheel-well.html<snip>
A 16-year-old stowaway has miraculously survived flying halfway across the Pacific in the wheel well of a flight from California to Hawaii - despite temperatures of -81F (-62C) at 38,000 feet.
The teen was discovered on the tarmac at the Maui airport on Sunday carrying no ID or belongings - apart from a comb - and told the FBI he had run away from home after an argument with his parents.
'Kid's lucky to be alive,' FBI spokesman Tom Simon in Honolulu said on Sunday night.
Among those skeptical about his journey, medical experts said his body would have had to fall into a hibernation-like state - with his heart beating only a couple of times a minute - for him to survive.
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This kid one one lucky young man. Hope he has a good life.
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)Hundreds of billions of dollars since 2001 and a moody teenager can penetrate their security.
malaise
(269,067 posts)Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)Seriously though, what happens when some terrorist figures out that the easiest way to get a bomb on an aircraft is in the wheel well?
Good question.
The sad truth is pre-9/11. we'd celebrate this little upstart as an adventurous young man
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)for the security of the perimeter of airports?
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)and the rivers of cash poured in to 13 years worth of Kabuki Security Theatre, it sure as hell is going to be their fault when a plane goes down.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)That is the responsibility of whoever owns the airport. In this case the San Jose airport authority.
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)for perimeter security?
I'm guessing they all scooped out tons of cash and are still scooping. Also, TSA's excuse when an airliner gets blown out of the sky is going to be, what? We took hundreds of billions and ignored the obvious hole in our security?
(Not jumping on you, just pointing out that TSA's excuse will not hold water. You can be damned sure that should such a thing happen during Obama's remaining time in office the Dems can kiss the house, senate, White House, well pretty much the entire Republic, goodbye).
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)There are hundreds of airports all across the US which run scheduled airline service, some of which you can drive on to with no restrictions. Should we secure those at great expense? The Dallas/Fort Worth airport alone is bigger than the island of Manhattan. Should we spend billions turning massive land areas into impenetrable fortresses? Even if we did, you can fly a $10,000 aircraft on to every single one of them with the exception of Washington National and nobody is going to question you.
So we can certainly play 'what if' all day long. The reality is it hasn't happened, but regardless of how determined we are to prevent it, if someone is determined enough, it will happen.
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)just sensible behaviour.
We have wasted Scrooge McDuck-sized vaults of cash on the ILLUSION of security while ignoring actual security.
What is going to make us safer: TSA agents sexually abusing men women and children looking for bottles of "liquids" that are 0.1 ounces above the legal limit, or posting one agent at each plane to insure that no one sticks a bomb in the wheel well?
The sad reality is that 90% of "security" is simply abusing the public so you can "be seen" providing "security".
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)But in this case I don't see any fault of the behavior of TSA. The airport is owned and operated by the city of San Jose, which receives federal funding and oversight from the Dept of Transportation, a completely separate department of government from TSA. The plane itself is supposed to be inspected by the airline before flight.
Orrex
(63,216 posts)malaise
(269,067 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Which escalated to his becoming an abnormal attachment to aviation.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)This isn't the type of thing done on a lark...More often than not the "landing gear stowaway" is someone is desperate and out of options trying to escape a violent or oppressive country...
EDIT: Out of the documented cases (including this one), landing gear stowaways are batting 24 for 100
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/dead-wheel-well-stowaway-went-undiscovered-7-flights-f6C10287982
LonePirate
(13,426 posts)The kid obviously knew nothing about the environmental health risks he survived while he hitched that ride.
malaise
(269,067 posts)It does take some special kind of dumb to even attempt scaling an airport fence let alone stowing away in an aircraft wheel well.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)so when you factor in the angst-y teen emotions, his mind wasn't in the right place anyway, even if he did know the science...(I don't know if the kid was being a moron or if he was escaping abuse)
http://news.yahoo.com/16-old-survives-wheel-well-maui-flight-041150318.html
Orrex
(63,216 posts)malaise
(269,067 posts)11 Bravo
(23,926 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)mn9driver
(4,426 posts)38000 feet is lethal, even for a fairly short time. Five hours is way outside any chance. There's more to this than is being reported.
JI7
(89,252 posts)mn9driver
(4,426 posts)At that low pressure, his lungs would release, not absorb, oxygen. Every breath would lower the oxygen level of his blood.
JI7
(89,252 posts)i wonder if he got on the plane some other way but because it would expose their lack of security check they are just claiming this happened.
jeff47
(26,549 posts)(Article is from 2003, so stats are probably slightly different today)
mn9driver
(4,426 posts)Their aircraft happened to stay lower for other reasons. I don't recall anyone ever surviving at that altitude. If it really happened as described, then something isn't being reported. 38000 feet for 5 hours pretty much equals certain death.
malaise
(269,067 posts)Sounds strange but the airpost has video of him scaling the wall and heading for the aircraft
johnp3907
(3,732 posts)A disgraced coroner talked about his past moment of glory when he figured out how a man froze to death on a warm day. He'd fallen out of the wheel well of the plane he'd stowed away on.
Rex
(65,616 posts)Not seeing any other explanation that doesn't end up with him dead.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)The entire act in gif form! I bow down to your Internet powers!
jeff47
(26,549 posts)No woo required. Just luck.
Rex
(65,616 posts)I figured he must have been surrounded in a cocoon of woo.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Mystery of the man who fell to earth
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22847065