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little Z
Trad climber
un cafetal en Naranjo
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Apr 22, 2014 - 06:33am PT
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amazing, but ... what's this about a climber wedged between two boulders?
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Apr 22, 2014 - 07:48am PT
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A human cannot remain conscious at 38,000 feet without supplemental oxygen.
And the temperature is 70 degrees below zero at 38,000 feet.
It is possible to survive in a wheelwell, but not likely.
It is possible to remain in the wheelwell when you are unconscious and the landing gear is lowered, but not very likely at all.
Stranger things have happened, though. That lad needs to be sterilized before he procreates.
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Apr 22, 2014 - 08:52am PT
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That lad needs to be sterilized before he procreates.
Or cloned!
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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Apr 22, 2014 - 09:58am PT
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I'm curious what the air pressure in that wheel well was. It had to be quite a bit higher than the normal pressure at 38000 feet. Which would make sense if the wheel well was one of the wing ones which is located in an area of lift.
I have not heard if he had frostbite. Reports claim he had no injuries. He certainly would have had severe frostbite if he had actually endured temperatures of -70F. If he really had no frostbite I would guess temperatures in that wheel well remained above 0 F perhaps well above. The wing wells are located close to the engines and perhaps have heated hydraulic lines running through them. Something had to keep it warmer than -70F
I am really curious what conditions he actually managed to survive. They really should measure the conditions in that wheel well at exactly where he was in it. Seems a worthwhile and simple bit of research.
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philo
Trad climber
Is that light the end of the tunnel or a train?
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Apr 22, 2014 - 10:00am PT
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This has happened before. Sometime in the late 70s a young man fleeing persecution stowed away in the landing gear wheel well just like this guy. He was in pretty bad shape but survived. If I remember correctly the earlier stow away fell out on to the tarmac after the landing gear was lowered.
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Lorenzo
Trad climber
Oregon
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Apr 22, 2014 - 10:14am PT
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Since 1947, 105 people are known to have attempted to fly inside wheel wells on 94 flights worldwide, the Federal Aviation Administration's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute says. Of those, 25 made it through, including a 9-year-old child -- a survival rate of 24%. One of the flights went as high as 39,000 feet. Two others were at 38,000 feet.
The conditions at high altitudes can put stowaways in a virtual "hibernative" state, the FAA said.
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overwatch
climber
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Apr 22, 2014 - 10:20am PT
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The new economy class?
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Apr 22, 2014 - 11:01am PT
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Wheelwells are not pressurized at all, and remain at ambient pressure (38,000 feet). The wheelwells are nowhere near the engines and would be at -70 deg F.
The real mystery is why they don't fall out of the wheelwell when the landing gear are lowered.
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overwatch
climber
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Apr 22, 2014 - 11:11am PT
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Full body bombay chimneying?
The human body is amazing and an appropriate use of the word.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Apr 22, 2014 - 11:22am PT
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Leavittation.
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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Apr 22, 2014 - 11:38am PT
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SLR.. just my thoughts and curiosity here
I know they are not sealed but the wheelwells may gain air pressure due to being located in the area of lift on the underside of the wing.
I'm willing to bet he did not endure the normal ambient .2 ATM and -70F that occurs at 11,500M
On the 767 the wheelwells are located somewhat near the engines. Perhaps not near enough to gain much heat.. dunno. There may be other sources of heat dunno.
I do think it would be easy and interesting to measure the conditions in there during flight. My hypothesis is put forward and I'd love to see the measurements needed to see what really is going on in there. I could be all wrong. Testing seems worthwhile to me.
This is an amazing example of extreme survival. One the medical field should find worth investigating and trying to determine exact conditions.
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Lorenzo
Trad climber
Oregon
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Apr 22, 2014 - 11:47am PT
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The real mystery is why they don't fall out of the wheelwell when the landing gear are lowered.
No mystery to me.
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Tvash
climber
Seattle
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Apr 22, 2014 - 11:48am PT
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The smoking section is where you find it.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Apr 22, 2014 - 12:12pm PT
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I know they are not sealed but the wheelwells may gain air pressure due to being located in the area of lift on the underside of the wing.
BwaHaHaHaHaHa!!!!!!! That made my morning, thank you!
More to the point is that this young man should be cloned.
They could call his genes the Uehli Messner Line.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Apr 22, 2014 - 12:13pm PT
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It's possible that wheel wells are slightly pressurized due to airflow over the jet, but the effect would be trivial.
At -70 degrees, and with the air flowing by at 500-550 m.p.h., the engines are not adding any heat to the fuselage. Engine heat is getting carried away very rapidly by the airflow.
Also, you can stand right next to a jet engine, even near the tailpipe, and you'll feel very little heat. Stand directly behind the engine, in the path of the jet exhaust, and it gets amazingly hot.
I imagine that most people lose consciousness fairly quickly, and the cold protects their brain from hypoxic injury (if they survive). Therapeutic hypothermia is now an accepted mainstream treatment of cardio-pulmonary arrest.
The question is why more people don't fall out of the wheel well when the landing gear comes down. They may regain consciousness as the aircraft descends, but a lot of people do fall from the wheel well. Whether they were already dead when they fell, or were unconscious and died on impact, in not clear to me.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Apr 22, 2014 - 12:16pm PT
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Sounds okay, about as cramped as coach but you don't need a sleeping pill for a good nights rest. Hell, you only get complimentary wine in First Class anymore and who can afford that?
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Apr 22, 2014 - 12:20pm PT
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SLR, given that he was unconscious it amazes me that he regained consciousness
on the descent to the point that he was able to ready himself for the gear
deployment. No extreme chimney tactics would be needed as there are some
nice big hinges to provide purchase but one would have to be aware enough
not to get mushed or dislodged when the gear starts unfolding, and it doesn't
take very long.
Those statistics don't enumerate all those that may not have regained
consciousness adequately to avoid the big drop.
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Apr 22, 2014 - 12:24pm PT
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The aerodynamics of the fuselage design minimize drag, and an area that has positive or negative pressure would be inducing major drag. They wind tunnel test the designs extensively as aerodynamic drag is the enemy of fuel economy.
That kid needs to consider a mountaineering career, he don't need no stinkin' oxygen, or a down jacket! He can travel light and fast
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