A 20-year-old Romanian man was discovered stowed away and hidden in a rear wheel compartment of a jet landing this week in London--surviving 40-below temperatures and low oxygen.
The stowaway, apparently looking for work--endured low oxygen and even air temperatures during flight--that drropped as low as 40 below zero temperatures. Upon his discovery at London's Heathrow Airport, the Romanian was covered in bruises and showing signs of hypothermia.
What happened with airport security that a man was able to sneak into any part of a departing plane? It turns out through a remarkable mix of fortune, daring, stupidity--and some MacGyver moves. The man says he climbed under a fence at Vienna's Schwechat airport, hiding himself underneath a private jet that had been parked there since last week.
He survived the flight because of good luck: not only did he experience fortunate timing with the airport's flight plan, but the plane was also forced to fly at a lower-than-normal altitude while trying to avoid bad weather--allowing the man to survive what would normally be a fatal combination of cold and lack of air.
UK authorities at London Heathrow Airport (LHA)--the world's busiest airport--were surprised by the man's unexpected arrival, but declined to press charges. As another piece of good luck, because Romania is part of the European Union (EU), the stowed away "passenger" was technically allowed to visit on holiday or vacation.
In a deal that would never have occurred in the U.S., the stowaway was warned and subsequently freed with no further action. Next time you're ready to complain about that horrible experience on your last flight, you might want to think again. Somebody out there has definitely had it much worse.