Survival at high altitudes: wheel-well passengers

Abstract : Ten specific 'wheel-well' passenger stowaway flights (the wheel-well area was entered just before takeoff) are documented in the N.Y. Times, covering the period 1947 to 1993. Five stowaways survived flights encompassing altitudes as high as 39,000 feet, with six dying in the process (one flight had two stowaways: one fatal, one surviving). Three Douglas DC-8 and four Boeing 707 aircraft, plus a Caravelle, an unknown jet, and a piston airliner were utilized. Several of the wheel well flight stowaways were reported to be politically motivated to attempt these international flights. This paper describes the unpressurized flight environment and the physiology that enabled human survival under conditions of extreme hypoxia and cold (inducing a virtual 'hibernative' state). It is likely that similar attempts will continue. Alert airport security preventive measures are indicated.