Q: There was a story about a 15-year-old boy who survived in the wheel well of an airplane that traveled halfway over the Pacific Ocean. How did he survive with little oxygen at that altitude in subzero temperature for five hours?
—Karen Sisler, Honolulu
A: Doctors and aviation experts aren't sure how the stowaway survived the 2,400-mile flight in the wheel well of a Boeing 767 from San Jose, Calif., to Maui, Hawaii, on April 20, with one doctor telling CNN.com that it was "dumb luck, mostly." Dr. Kenneth Stahl, a trauma surgeon at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, said the boy might have been "in a state of suspended animation," since the temperatures could have been between 75 and 80 degrees below zero outside the wheel well. Stahl added that the teen could have permanent brain damage, neurological issues, memory problems or a lower IQ from the experience. The teen was described as being unconscious when he was found after the plane landed, but regained consciousness, which Peter Hackett, director of the Institute for Altitude Medicine, said is a good sign. "I think he'd be fine," Hackett told The Washington Post. "Prolonged unconsciousness would indicate he wasn't going to do well. But if he wakes up after that insult, he's going to be fine." Of the reported 105 wheel-well stowaways since 1947, 80 have died, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, but a teen survived a domestic flight in Nigeria last fall, and at least four others have survived longer international flights in the past 17 years.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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