A man hidden in the landing gear of an aircraft survives a flight from Algeria to Paris

In the passenger plane’s wheel well, a twenty-year-old man travelled over 1,350 kilometres from Algeria to France in below-freezing conditions.

He was found unconscious, frozen, and suffering from severe hypothermia by ground crews at the Orly airport in France.

Authorities are still trying to figure out who this man is and how he got on the plane because he was found without identification. He was brought to the hospital alive, but his condition was potentially fatal due to severe hypothermia, according to an airport source.

Between 1947 and 2021, 132 persons attempted to fly in commercial aircraft landing gear compartments, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration.

This incident comes after a string of comparable ones, such as the discovery of a dead man in an aircraft’s landing gear at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. With an astounding 77% death rate for those attempting such journeys, the FAA data highlights the grim reality of this mode of transportation.

The concerning desire of stowaways to endanger their lives in landing gear compartments persistently presents a formidable obstacle for aviation security. Authorities stress that to stop similar potentially fatal events in the future, increased awareness is required.