Stowaway makes it from Guatemala to Miami by hiding in plane’s landing gear compartment
A 26-year-old man hid for almost 2½ hours on a flight from Guatemala to Miami before being apprehended , according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, “attempted to evade detection” by stowing away in the plane’s landing gear, officials said.
The flight, American Airlines 1182, landed in Miami around 10 a.m. Saturday. Video posted on social media shows two employees, one on the phone, while the man sits on the concrete between them.
“He’s all right, he’s all right,” someone shouts off-camera.
A spokesperson for American Airlines told the Daily News Sunday that the plane was met by law enforcement at Miami International Airport “due to a security issue.”
The spokesman said the airline is cooperating with the investigation.
“Persons are taking extreme risks when they try to conceal themselves in confined spaces such as an aircraft,” CBP said in a statement. “This incident remains under investigation.”
The man was taken to the hospital for a medical assessment.
A spokesperson for CBP did not comment Sunday on whether the man will face charges or other consequences.
Temperatures in parts of the plane without climate control, like the landing gear compartment, can drop to minus-65 degrees, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. But the presence of hydraulic lines can help warm the areas to survivable temperatures.
Stowaways risk hypoxia, or the lack of oxygen, and hypothermia.
