Stowaway survives in gear well.

[Gabriel]

Then a big SORRY from me!

Thanks for defending me anyway. Intention matters

[brianw999]

Sounds like old Nancy might have had a touch of the Necrophilia .

Not particularly funny.

[AA 1818]

How long was this stowaway in the wheel well?

I can't really answer the other questions, and an official 'report' will likely be coming soon, but it's been widely reported that the flight time was 5 and 1/2 hours.

[guamainiac]

That and it sounds like he was in there for a few hours waiting. Whoever does the final walk around is supposed to look but they may be deep and have sub compartments.

[AA 1818]

That and it sounds like he was in there for a few hours waiting. Whoever does the final walk around is supposed to look but they may be deep and have sub compartments.

The boy, who hasn't been identified, jumped a fence at Mineta Airport in San Jose at around 1 a.m. Sunday and climbed up the landing gear of a Hawaiian Airlines plane parked on the tarmac, police said. Above, the footprints cover the hatch leading to the wheel well — just above a ‘no step’ sign. Airport surveillance video caught him scampering up the wheel well of the Boeing 767, though it was unclear if he hid there until the plane took off at 8 a.m., authorities said.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.1766082

The picture that is referenced, is a must see. Take a look at the link.

[guamainiac]

I'm really shocked; in the article AA1818 has a link to, it indicates that the wheel well is not part of the walk around in the preflight. It sure was when I was in the military and generally you were looking for hydraulic leaks.

[ATLcrew]

I'm really shocked; in the article AA1818 has a link to, it indicates that the wheel well is not part of the walk around in the preflight. It sure was when I was in the military and generally you were looking for hydraulic leaks.

Keep in mind that on a 767 the main gear doors are actually closed in normal configuration. They open for gear retraction and extension, then close again once the gear is up or down. Thus, you can't really see the wheel well during pre-flight.

[guamainiac]

ATL crew, thanks my only "hands on" experience was an the A3/B66. I guess that there was just enough room for him to crawl in or during those brief moments and at that point he would have been essentially trapped for a few hours.

[EconomyClass]

Keep in mind that on a 767 the main gear doors are actually closed in normal configuration. They open for gear retraction and extension, then close again once the gear is up or down. Thus, you can't really see the wheel well during pre-flight.

If they are closed so the pilot can't see, how does the stowaway get in there to hide?

[elaw]

I was thinking the same thing. But maybe there's enough clearance between the door(s?) and the gear strut for a person to squeeze through?

[guamainiac]

The ac had been on the ground for a few hours, on delays like that they must perform some periodic maintenance checks and cycle the doors open for awhile. The kid was headed to see his mother in Africa and had no idea where the plane was going apparently and perhaps it was the only one that was accessible.

[EconomyClass]

Spose its just me, but "I was going to see my mother in Africa" sounds like a story when a kid ends up in Hawaii.

[ATLcrew]

Spose its just me, but "I was going to see my mother in Africa" sounds like a story when a kid ends up in Hawaii.

I, too, find the Africa story more than a little sketchy. Someone sophisticated enough about airplanes to know to hide in a wheelwell should probably know better than to expect an airplane to just randomly end up in Africa, but then stranger things have happened...

[UncleFire]

Inquiring minds want to know...

So many questions...

How the heck are there still foot prints on the wheel after landing? Wouldn't they get scrubbed off from landing and taxiing? (Or were they produced after landing?)

For that matter, what the heck did he do when the gear came down for landing. I assume he was conscious. That must have been one heck of a ride down after the gear dropped.

There must be plenty of room in the wheel well, but I wonder what position was he in-- must have been laying somehow since he passed out. Sitting in coach sucks for 5 hours, I can only imagine how crappy being in a wheel well must have been (well, he was out cold-- pun intended)

[Evan]

Someone sophisticated enough about airplanes to know to hide in a wheelwell

Excuse me?