Stowaway Survives 11-Hour Flight in Nose Gear Well

Unidentified man stowed away on a cargo flight from Africa to Amsterdam.

Meg Godlewski

Monday, January 24, 2022 at 04:04 PM ET

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The unidentified stowaway was found at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport. [File Photo: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

A man remarkably survived an 11-hour, 6,200-mile flight from Africa to Amsterdam stowed away in the unheated and unpressurized nose-gear well of a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft.
Upon arrival in Schiphol Amsterdam, ground crew found the man alive but unconscious and hypothermic, after which he was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Authorities deem his survival highly unusual due to the extreme freezing temperatures, lack of air pressure at cruising altitudes, and other inherent dangers like being crushed by the landing gear.
Dutch police are currently questioning the man and investigating his identity, point of origin, and whether he was attempting illegal entry or was part of a human smuggling operation.

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Dutch police are questioning a man who stowed away in the nose-gear well of a cargo aircraft on a flight from Africa to Amsterdam over the weekend. The man, who has only been identified as an individual between the ages of 16 and 30, survived a more than 11-hour flight in the gear compartment of a Boeing 747.

According to CNN, when the Cargolux 747 landed in Schiphol Amsterdam on January 23, ground crew noticed the man and alerted authorities. He was still breathing but unconscious and hypothermic after the flight. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment.