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13-Year-Old Afghan Survives Wheel-Well Flight to New Delhi, Then Repatriated

The case underscores the extreme dangers of hiding in landing-gear bays at cruising altitude.

Overview

  • He concealed himself in the landing-gear compartment of a KabulNew Delhi civilian flight on Sept. 21, a journey of roughly 1.5 hours.
  • Airport staff discovered him unharmed on arrival in New Delhi, and authorities returned him to Afghanistan the same day.
  • Indian media, including PTI, report he told security he acted out of curiosity, and a small red speaker believed to be his was found in the compartment.
  • Some reports say he is from Kunduz and intended to reach Iran but ended up on the Delhi flight by mistake, with those details not independently confirmed.
  • Coverage notes that wheel-well stowaways face temperatures below minus 50°C, hypoxia, and the risk of falling when the gear deploys, and many such attempts have been fatal.