Does This Plan Ever Work?!

[beaky]

Seems another poor soul decided to stow away aboard an airliner recently by getting into a wheel well... a flight from South Africa (with a stop in Senegal) lowered its gear over Long Island on approach to JFK and a leg and part of a torso fell into some lady's backyard... other remains were discovered inside the well after the plane arrived. :-/
Hard to say which killed him first- the mechanism , the high altitude, or the subzero temps, but whatever the case, I can't believe people still try this. You'd have to be as stupid as you are desperate to think you'll survive such an adventure.  And it happens often enough (newspaper reports 5 such incidents in the last 5 years at NYC area airports) that one has to wonder if anybody bothers with walkarounds anymore in places like Senegal... maybe they figure that mere human flesh and bone won't interfere with the gear mechanism, but this would actually be a pretty good way to plant a bomb, if one could get that close just before takeoff.

[Jakemaster]

I saw on tv a while back a show about a guy who did it and made it.

[beaky]

I saw on tv a while back a show about a guy who did it and made it.

Amazing. Did he bring oxygen?

[exnihilo]

A sad story.  Even though it was stupid, I still feel really sorry for the guy.  Imagine dying like that.

[Staiduk]

Keep in mind the people that try this are desperate. Desperate enough that the risk of dying in this fashion - however high - is better than living under their current conditions.

Rotty's last point is extremely valid as well - if someone can get himself into a wheelwell; he can get a bomb in there. The question is what to do about it?

[Woodlouse2002]

Rotty's last point is extremely valid as well - if someone can get himself into a wheelwell; he can get a bomb in there. The question is what to do about it?

They won't do anything about it. Most governments, britain and america included couldn't care less about what was going out of their countries.

As for people surviving, I've heard of at least one case where the guy made it. Not sure what the circumstances were though.

[beaky]

Rotty's last point is extremely valid as well - if someone can get himself into a wheelwell; he can get a bomb in there. The question is what to do about it?

A preflight walkaround must be done, and maybe the airline or mfr. could invest in $100 worth of video equipment to put a small camera in there (which would be very useful for other types of inspection...).
 PS- I do feel sorry for the guy, but if I really use my imagination and put myself in his shoes, I think after watching a few takeoffs and landings by the airport fence, I'd realize that it was just too damn risky. Hanging yourself would make more sense... desperate or not, it  was foolish.