Stowaways: passage in a wheel well

15 Feb 2011

There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of stowaway incidents since the beginning of commercial and cargo aviation. The fact that stowaways continue to successfully hide in aircraft without detection raises real security concerns for airlines, airports, governments and the public alike. The problem, as James Careless reports, is that stowaways represent a topic that few people want to talk about, let alone take clear and overt steps against.

The most recent incident occurred on 15 November 2010, when the battered body of 16-year-old Delvonte Tisdale was found outdoors in the quiet Boston suburb of Milton, Massachusetts. Police initially believed that Tisdale had been murdered there. However, further investigation revealed that Tisdale had stowed aboard a US Airways 737 departing from Charlotte Douglas International Airport, North Carolina, some 700 miles away. The evidence supporting the stowaway theory included the fact that Tisdale’s body and clothing were found under the flight path where the 737′s wheels were lowered, plus a handprint was found inside the 737′s left rear wheel well that apparently belonged to the victim.  

“A 16?year?old man, on his own…was able to hide himself in the wheel well of a commercial jetliner,” said Norfolk County District Attorney Bill Keating, whose jurisdiction covers the suburb where Tisdale’s body was found. “Aside from the tragedy, it was a serious breach of security at an airport,” Keating said during a news conference on 10 December 2010. “What if someone else had had a more sinister motive?” the District Attorney wondered aloud. “If this was a terrorist, that could’ve been a bomb planted.” 

The History of Stowaways 

For as long as humans have paid to travel to other locations, freeloading stowaways have been a problem. Initially, they were found onboard ships, and then trains. During the 1930s, stowaways known as ‘hobos’ rode the rails on US freight trains. Most were unemployed men with no prospects, and nowhere to go.  

As soon as flying machines offered space for stowaways to hide, they started appearing there too. One of the most famous early stowaways was 19-year-old Clarence Terhone in October 1928. He hid upon the Graf Zeppelin during its mooring in Lakehurst, New Jersey. Once discovered, Terhune ‘worked his passage’ in the dirigible’s kitchen. He became a minor celebrity; an entry in Wikipedia shows the short, slight Terhune grinning beside German Justice Minister Theodor von Guérard. Far from being stern, the minister has his arm around Terhune’s should in a fatherly ‘what a daring young man’ stance! MORE ONLINE

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