A 13-year-old Afghan boy has survived after hiding inside the landing gear compartment of a Kam Air passenger flight from Kabul to New Delhi. The teenager, who said he acted “out of curiosity,” endured a 94-minute journey through freezing air and low oxygen levels, conditions that are usually fatal.
The Kam Air flight, RQ-4401, landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on Sunday morning around 10:20 a.m. When airline staff carried out routine checks, they were shocked to find a boy wandering near Terminal 3, inside a restricted area. A later search of the plane revealed a small red portable speaker lodged in the landing gear, believed to have belonged to the boy.
According to media reports, the teenager came from Kunduz in northern Afghanistan. He sneaked into Kabul Airport early on Sunday morning and managed to slip past security by following passengers. Without realizing the danger, he climbed into the aircraft’s rear wheel compartment, believing the plane was headed to Iran, “I did this out of curiosity,” the boy reportedly told officials during questioning. Instead, he found himself on a flight bound for India.
The survival of the boy is being described as nothing less than a miracle. Aviation experts say that once a plane takes off, the wheel well is among the most dangerous places a human could hide. The temperature at cruising altitude can fall between minus 40 and minus 60 degrees Celsius. Oxygen levels also drop rapidly, causing most stowaways to lose consciousness or die before the aircraft lands.
“Normally, no one can survive in a wheel bay at 30,000 feet. Low oxygen and freezing air cause death very quickly,” said aviation analyst Mohan Ranganathan. “But in this case, the boy may have entered a space that was partially pressurized and retained some warmth, which allowed him to live. He could have clung to the internal structures to avoid injury when the wheels retracted.”
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has studied 128 stowaway cases in aircraft wheel wells between 1947 and 2020. More than 75 percent of those attempts ended in death. Even the few survivors often suffered serious injuries, frostbite, or permanent health damage. Earlier this year, two teenagers were found dead inside the landing gear of a JetBlue aircraft in Florida, showing just how deadly such journeys can be.
Indian authorities treated the case as a major breach of security. A CISF officer explained, “Such incidents are extremely rare, but they show the loopholes in airport safety. If a child can walk into a restricted area and hide inside an aircraft, it raises serious concerns.”
The boy was taken in by immigration officers for questioning after being caught. He appeared to be unhurt, though visibly exhausted after the risky flight. During interrogation, he repeated that he had no plan beyond curiosity. “I just wanted to see what happens. I thought the plane was going to Iran,” he reportedly said.
After basic medical checks confirmed he was stable, Indian officials decided to deport him the same day. Around 12:30 p.m., just two hours after arriving in Delhi, he was sent back to Kabul on the same Kam Air aircraft. Authorities confirmed the plane was declared safe after a detailed anti-sabotage check. Normal operations resumed soon afterward.
Airport staff who witnessed the scene were left shocked. One worker told reporters, “It was unbelievable. We have heard of stowaways in foreign countries, but to see a small boy alive after hiding in the wheels was like watching something from a film.”
Aviation safety experts warn that while this boy’s survival is extraordinary, others should not be tempted to repeat such a dangerous act. “This is not bravery. It is pure luck that he survived,” said Mary Schiavo, former inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department. She explained that without oxygen, unconsciousness happens quickly, and at such extreme cold, frostbite and hypothermia set in within minutes.
