Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Zach D. Films 2.0
Topics: Travel
Callum Jones
A horrifying simulation has revealed what really happened to two men who hid inside an aeroplane wheel during an 11-hour flight.
Back in 2022, a 22-year-old man from Kenya was found alive in the front wheel section of a cargo plane after being stuck there for the duration of a flight from South Africa to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.
"A stowaway was found in the nose wheel of a cargo plane from South Africa at Schiphol. The man is doing well under the circumstances and has been taken to hospital," Dutch police said in a tweet at the time.
Meanwhile, a further update said officials were looking into whether the incident was a case of migrant smuggling.
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"Our first concern, of course, was for his health," military police spokeswoman Joanna Helmonds told Reuters.
"This is definitely very unusual that someone was able to survive the cold at such a height - very, very unusual."
Police said that the man had since applied for asylum, though no further updates were provided on whether the stayed in the country.
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Robert van Kapel, a spokesman for the military police, told the New York Times: "We of course see that a lot of people try to enter Europe for a better life. We see it every day, not only in airports but also in ports and highways."
It was believed the man boarded the aircraft in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, where it stopped before making it to the final destination in Amsterdam.
The man was joined by a fellow person on the flight - though the other man on board sadly lost his life.
A simulation showing what likely happened to the men has gone viral after being posted to YouTube, with the plane said to have dropped to -60 degrees after it ascended.
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Oxygen levels also reached a dangerous level, which led to both men passing out.
The man who sadly lost his life fell from the plane to his death, while the Kenyan who survived was able to hang on to the iron bars attached to the plane.
What makes the story even more incredible is the fact stowaways on long flights often fail to survive because of the cold and low oxygen at high altitudes.
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So the fact the man survived is quite remarkable.
Many have flocked to the comments section of the simulation video uploaded by Zack D. Films.
"This guy survived without oxygen, didn't freeze to death, imagine -60 degrees, then didn't die from the fall. He should have bought a lottery ticket on that day," one person commented.