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To: markomalley

No way this happened.


23 posted on 04/21/2014 6:17:13 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator
Apparently there is some residual heat in the wheel well of a plane that would keep the compartment from achieving the true outside temperature. It makes sense because you would think that the hydraulics (that lower the wheels during descent) would have issues functioning if they were allowed to get to -67 degrees. Maybe there is some heat pumped in there to keep that from happening. If that is the case, then likely enough oxygen and air pressure was involved as well to keep this boy alive - though he did pass out from what I understand.

There are other cases of stowaways in wheel wells. It appears that the greatest danger is either being crushed to death as the wheels retract after take off or falling out of the wheel well during landing as the wheels are deployed when the plane is still several thousand feet in the air. If you are passed out during that time, it is likely you would fall into the ocean and never be found - so this might happen more often then you realize.

I can see why the airline industry would not want to publicize the fact that you could theoretically survive this as they do not want to encourage future stowaways.

25 posted on 04/21/2014 6:32:29 AM PDT by SamAdams76
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