Afghan teen survives 36,000-ft flight in plane’s landing gear, lands in India

A 13-year-old Afghan boy’s “curiosity” led him to stow away in the landing gear compartment of a Kabul-Delhi flight, according to a PTI report. The boy managed to travel undetected on KAM Airlines flight number RQ-4401, which landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport around 11 am on Sunday.

The teenager, said to be from Kunduz city, was spotted roaming near the aircraft after it touched down. He was apprehended by airline personnel and handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), who brought him to Terminal 3 for questioning.

During interrogation, the boy reportedly told officials he sneaked into Kabul airport and hid inside the rear central landing gear compartment of the aircraft. He said he did this “out of curiosity,” PTI quoted sources as saying.

The boy endured the two-hour journey from Kabul to Delhi at an altitude of over 36,000 feet inside the cramped landing gear compartment, officials said.

After questioning, the teenager was deported on the same aircraft back to Kabul on Sunday itself, PTI reported.

Following the incident, KAM Airlines security officials conducted a detailed inspection of the aircraft’s landing gear compartment. A small red-coloured speaker, believed to belong to the boy, was recovered. The aircraft was later cleared after thorough anti-sabotage checks, authorities confirmed.