Afghan teen found alive in aircraft’s landing gear after Kabul-Delhi flight

In an astonishing and rare incident, a 13-year-old Afghan boy from Kunduz was found alive inside the landing gear compartment of a Kam Air flight (RQ-4401) that traveled from Kabul to Delhi on Sunday morning, 24NewsHD TV reported on Tuesday. 

The episode unfolded on Sunday morning when Kam Airways flight RQ-4401 landed in Delhi at around 10:20 am.

 After passengers disembarked, airport staff noticed the boy wandering in a suspicious manner near the aircraft.

During questioning, the boy told investigators that he had boarded the aircraft purely out of curiosity, without any intention of fleeing or seeking asylum.

Aviation and security officials, however, described the case as highly unusual and deeply concerning from a safety standpoint, stressing that survival under such circumstances is nearly impossible due to extreme cold, lack of oxygen, and the risk of being crushed by the landing gear.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) immediately took him into custody and later handed him over to immigration officials, who are arranging his return to Kabul.

According to investigators, the teenager had slipped into Kabul Airport undetected, followed passengers, and climbed into the wheel well — a cramped compartment where an aircraft’s landing gear is stored during flight.

Once the plane took off, the compartment door sealed shut, trapping him for the entire 94-minute, 1,000-kilometer journey to India.

Aviation experts describe travel in an aircraft’s wheel well as extremely hazardous, with survival rates estimated at just one in five.

At cruising altitudes of 30,000 feet, the environment inside the compartment exposes stowaways to dangerously low oxygen levels, sub-zero temperatures, and crushing mechanical risks.

 Authorities described the boy’s survival as “nothing short of miraculous.”