United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers apprehended a 26-year-old man who survived a flight while hiding in the landing gear compartment of an American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) aircraft.
The unusual incident occurred on the American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) flight 1182 from Guatemala to Miami on November 27, 2021. At around 8.00 a.m. (UTC), the carrier’s Boeing 737-800 aircraft, registered as N970NN, took off from Guatemala Airport (GUA) and successfully touched down at Miami International Airport (MIA) a few hours later.
However, once the jet landed at its final destination, the CPB officers noticed something suspicious in the confined space of the aircraft. The authority found a Guatemalan man who took a risk and concealed himself inside the landing gear compartment of the American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) plane.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Miami International Airport apprehended a 26-year-old man who attempted to evade detection in the landing gear compartment of an aircraft arriving from Guatemala Saturday morning,” the CBP statement said.
The stowaway was immediately checked out by local emergency medical services staff and later transported to a local hospital for evaluation.
“[People] are taking extreme risks when they try to conceal themselves in confined spaces such as an aircraft,” the CBP told NBC News and outlined that the incident will remain under further investigation.
Based on a video found on social media, the man managed to escape the landing uninjured and conscious.
A stowaway passenger has been found in the landing gear wheel well of American Airlines Flight 1182 from Guatemala City to Miami. The scene is still active and no more information has been provided at this time. pic.twitter.com/RoH9vmNuYL
— World Latin Honey (@WorldLatinHoney) November 27, 2021