Stowaway Found Alive in Landing Gear of Flight to Paris from Algeria

In a remarkable turn of events, a man has been discovered alive in the landing gear compartment of a commercial flight originating from Algeria and bound for Paris. However, his condition is serious and life-threatening. Shockingly, official figures reveal that the mortality rate for stowaways attempting such journeys stands at a staggering 77%.

The startling discovery unfolded during technical inspections after the Air Algerie flight from Oran, Algeria, safely landed at Paris Orly airport. According to sources at the airport, the man was found alive but in an extremely critical condition due to severe hypothermia following the harrowing two-and-a-half-hour flight.

Although estimated to be in his twenties, the stowaway had no identification on his person. Consequently, he was swiftly transported to a nearby hospital in a grave condition.

It’s crucial to note that commercial aircraft typically cruise at altitudes ranging from 30,000 to 40,000 feet (9,000 to 12,000 meters), where temperatures plummet to around -50 degrees Celsius (-58°F). The lack of oxygen in the landing gear compartment, which is neither heated nor pressurized, makes survival an incredibly unlikely feat.

Disturbingly, data from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reveals that between 1947 and 2021, 132 individuals attempted to travel in the landing gear compartments of commercial aircraft. Shockingly, the mortality rate for those embarking on such perilous journeys stands at a daunting 77%, as reported by the FAA.

This incident recalls a similar occurrence in April of this year when a man’s lifeless body was discovered in the landing gear of an aircraft at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. The flight had originated in Toronto but previously took off from Nigeria.

In a chilling episode from 2015, a stowaway’s body fell from a British Airways flight traveling from Johannesburg to Heathrow, landing on a shop in Richmond, southwest London. Astonishingly, another stowaway survived the grueling 10-hour flight and was found in the aircraft’s undercarriage.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, dw.com