Honolulu: A 16-year-old boy stowed away in the wheel well of a flight from California to Hawaii, surviving the trip halfway across the Pacific Ocean unharmed despite frigid temperatures at 38,000 feet (11,500 metres) and a lack of oxygen, FBI and airline officials said.
FBI spokesman Tom Simon in Honolulu told The Associated Press that the boy was questioned after being discovered on the tarmac at the Maui airport with no identification.
“Kid’s lucky to be alive,” Mr Simon said. Mr Simon said security footage from the San Jose airport verified that the boy hopped a fence to get to Hawaiian Airlines Flight 45 yesterday morning. The teen had run away from his family after an argument, he said. When the flight landed in Maui, the boy hopped down from the wheel well and started wandering around the airport grounds, he said.
“He was unconscious for the lion’s share of the flight,” he added. The flight lasted about 5 and a half hours. Hawaiian Airlines spokeswoman Alison Croyle said airline personnel noticed the boy on the ramp after the flight arrived and immediately notified airport security.
“Our primary concern now is for the well-being of the boy, who is exceptionally lucky to have survived,” Ms Croyle said. Mr Simon said the boy was medically screened and found to be unharmed.
“Doesn’t even remember the flight,” he said.
