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By: 25th August 2012 at 15:08 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-Perhaps he was an illegal immigrant?
...Well, whoever he was he was bloody stupid - bet he was nice and warm in the landing gear bay of a 747 at FL390 with nothing but shorts and a t-shirt? :D
If they had some industrial heaters, then who knows, they might have been able to de-frost him again afterwards? :)
Jokes aside, what's South African security doing? If he jumped a fence and climbed into a 747, I'm guessing he hadn't been security vetted? He could have had 20kgs of plastic explosive attached to him for all they knew?
By: 25th August 2012 at 15:13 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-Perhaps he was an illegal immigrant?...Well, whoever he was he was bloody stupid - bet he was cold in the landing gear bay of a 747 at FL390 with nothing but shorts and a t-shirt? :D
It'll be gettin on for minus 60 degC.
D'oh.
By: 25th August 2012 at 16:13 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-Tragic story. Unfortunately, people reach levels of desperation that hinders their judgement and obviously this man was probably so desperate to leave his life and was willing to risk his life, ending in what must have been such an awful death. Others might joke, but I don't think there is anything funny about this story.
By: 25th August 2012 at 16:28 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-I've read of similar cases of people trying to get into various countries, it seems to haven a few times a year.
By: 26th August 2012 at 18:15 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-A very sad story. I cannot begin to understand the desparation of some of these poor people.
By: 27th August 2012 at 10:07 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-I cant understand why the SA authorities allowed the man to get to the aircraft in the first place secondly why they let an aircraft continue its flight knowing that a man had climbed into the landing gear, it beggars belief
By: 27th August 2012 at 11:24 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-They only saw him approach the aircraft, not climb into the landing gear. I presume it was dark at the time. I too find nothing funny in that someone should be so desperate as to try and stow away in the landing gear of an aircraft. Terrible for the man himself, terrible for his family and no less terrible for the poor bu**er on the ground at LHR who actually found him.
Regards,
kev35
By: 27th August 2012 at 21:25 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-They only saw him approach the aircraft, not climb into the landing gear. I presume it was dark at the time. I too find nothing funny in that someone should be so desperate as to try and stow away in the landing gear of an aircraft. Terrible for the man himself, terrible for his family and no less terrible for the poor bu**er on the ground at LHR who actually found him.Regards,
kev35
The Person was seen climbing a fence and running towards aircraft about to take off, this should of at least warranted a call from the tower to stop the aircraft from even moving.
I certainly don't find it funny in any case
By: 27th August 2012 at 21:44 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-well said, and like many others who would have read one of the earlier posts with dismay, I also feel there's nothing funny about this tragedy.
Regards.....Paul
By: 28th August 2012 at 22:42 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-I guess with these big modern jetliners there is space in the gear wells of the mains. I recall this happening back in the 1970s when someone jumped a 707 and fell out of the wheel bay when the gear was lowered for landing - dead naturally (thank god) as the stowaway didn't take into consideration -60 degree temps and no air.
By: 29th August 2012 at 08:11 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-if the body had fallen out like in the 70s and landed on someone or thing in Staines of west London
i think the story would jave been bigger in the news and more action taken
but as he remained on the plane during the landing phase it was not a big story
By: 3rd September 2012 at 16:53 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-I seem to recall a body being found in Hounslow (possibly Fullwell) not so long ago. Fell from an aircraft.
Are there any recorded incidents of people surviving?
By: 3rd September 2012 at 18:07 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-I seem to recall someone survived from a brief flight years ago.
Can't recall sopecifics.
By: 3rd September 2012 at 19:15 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-Several 'success' stories. ;)
In the US in 2000 there were three and in 2002, one.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2003/12/do_jet_stowaways_ever_survive.html
By: 11th September 2012 at 11:10 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-as i warned it has happened
http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=149063
this weekend near Heathrow
By: 11th September 2012 at 18:09 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-Could they not put signs up on airport perimeter boundaries stating the dangers of climbing on-board aircraft?
On a security note, couldn't an al-Qaeda terrorist jump on a plane in much the same way and blow it up?
By: 12th September 2012 at 06:37 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-That's what I was thinking. They'd have plenty of time to attach a bomb before they died.
By: 12th September 2012 at 11:27 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-A sign at the perimeter on an airport is not going to stop someone who is so desperate to seek a new life somewhere better. That is not an aviation problem.
It is this paranoid thinking that has made aviation a lot more stressful - for passengers and people that have transit security multiple times a day, for - I feel - very little gain.
By: 12th September 2012 at 19:30 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
-Could they not put signs up on airport perimeter boundaries stating the dangers of climbing on-board aircraft?On a security note, couldn't an al-Qaeda terrorist jump on a plane in much the same way and blow it up?
Threespool also states facts - namely that a sign will not stop a desperate person whether terrorist or fleeing from goodness knows what....
Sadly the terror threat alone should make EU and US airlines demand some reassurance from all international airports that aircraft cannot be boarded while holding on taxiways etc
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By: nJayM - 25th August 2012 at 13:16
Stowaway found dead in BA landing gear bay at Heathrow
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/9495580/Stowaway-found-dead-in-BA-landing-gear-bay-at-Heathrow.html
"..... The body of the man was discovered in the landing gear bay of the Boeing 747 after a 6,000-mile (9,656km) flight from Cape Town, BA said.
Police said the man was not a passenger or a member of the crew on the flight from South Africa's second busiest airport.
Authorities in South Africa said a man was spotted jumping a fence at the transport hub before running towards a BA flight as it waited to take off last night.
Security staff gave chase but backed off for safety reasons and a subsequent search of the airport failed to find the man. A spokeswoman said: "Last night at approximately 8.40pm a person was detected scaling the perimeter fence at Cape Town International Airport (CTIA).
"The airport immediately responded and, as a security patrol officer attempted to apprehend the man, he ran in the direction of a British Airways aircraft already in its holding pattern ready for take-off.
"For safety reasons the security officer could not approach the aircraft. ....."
Sad when it happens and it isn't the first nor is likely to be last.