Afghan boy, 13, survives 720-mile flight hidden in plane’s landing gear

A 13-year-old boy from Kunduz, Afghanistan, survived a 720-mile flight by hiding in the rear landing gear of a Kam Airlines plane traveling from Kabul to Delhi. The teenager was discovered wandering on the runway at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport after the aircraft landed on Monday. Indian security officials detained him for hours and later returned him to Kabul on the same flight.

According to authorities, the boy had climbed aboard the aircraft out of curiosity and found a hiding spot in the rear central landing gear compartment. Kam Airlines said the boy boarded flight RQ-4401 undetected. During a routine safety check, staff found a small red audio speaker left behind by the boy. He had reportedly planned to travel to Iran but did not realize the flight would take him to India. He slipped into the airport, followed behind a group of passengers, and sneaked into the plane's rear wheel well.

The incident highlights the dangers of aircraft stowaway attempts. In 2021, a 16-year-old Kenyan survived a London-to-Maastricht flight after hiding in the aircraft’s landing-gear area, enduring temperatures around minus 30 C. Most stowaways do not survive, and bodies have been found on arrival. Earlier this year, authorities confirmed the identities of two teens, Jeik Anilus Lusi and Elvis Borques Castillo, found dead in the landing gear of a JetBlue flight that had landed in Fort Lauderdale from New York; DNA testing months later confirmed their identities. In 2012, Jose Matada, a 26-year-old Mozambican man, died from severe injuries after being ejected from an Angola-bound flight near Heathrow.

Indian authorities said they interrogated the boy for several hours before returning him to Kabul on the same aircraft. Officials did not indicate whether charges would be pursued, but stressed the incident underscores the extreme risks associated with stowaway attempts and the broader vulnerabilities in airport and airline security.