Hidden in Wheel Well, Afghan Teen Survives Kabul–Delhi Flight

A 13-year-old boy from Kunduz, flew from Afghanistan to Delhi after he managed to sneak into the landing gear compartment of an aircraft that took off from Kabul on Sunday. 

He took off in the aircraft’s rear wheel well on a KAM Air Kabul-Delhi flight (RQ4401), which landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Airport  (IGI) at 10.20 AM. He was spotted by airport staff, who then informed the Central Industrial Security Force personnel. He was brought to Terminal 3 of the airport for questioning.

“Upon inquiry, it turned out that he hid in the rear central landing gear compartment (rear wheel well) of the aircraft. He is from Kunduz city, Afghanistan. Subsequently, an aircraft security check was conducted by the airline’s security and engineering staff, during which a small red-coloured audio speaker was found in the rear landing gear area,” the CISF said in a statement.

The flight was airborne for over 90 minutes with the boy in the wheel well, and he landed at IGI airport without injuries.

After questioning, he was handed over to Immigration Department officials, and later sent back on the same KAM Air flight (RQ4402) at 4 PM.

Security personnel of KAM Airlines inspected the landing gear compartment and discovered a small red speaker that the boy had apparently carried. The aircraft was declared safe after thorough inspection and anti-sabotage checks, officials confirmed.

The boy’s original intention was to travel to Iran, but he mistakenly boarded the Delhi-bound flight, which had departed from Kabul around 12:30 PM.

(with inputs from PTI and The Indian Express)