Do you think this is true?

[Joanne98]

Boy survives two-hour flight to Moscow hanging onto plane wing
September 26th, 2007 by dzarkhan

http://dzarkhan.wordpress.com/


24/09/2007 20:56 MOSCOW, September 24 (RIA Novosti) - A 15-year-old boy from the Urals suffered acute frostbite after riding the wing of a Boeing-737 plane on a two-hour flight from Perm to Moscow, Russian radio station Mayak reported on Monday.

After clinging on for the entire 1300-kilometer (808-mile) flight to Vnukova Airport, the boy, named Andrei, collapsed onto the tarmac. His arms and legs were so severely frozen that rescuers were at first unable to remove his coat and shoes, the radio station said.

The airport did not confirm the report. “We have no information on this,” the Vnukovo press service told RIA Novosti.

However, Moscow’s air and water transport control department said the radio’s claim was true. A department spokesman said the incident occurred on Friday, and that the boy’s parents were immediately informed, and flew to the capital the same day.

Doctors said it was nothing short of a miracle that Andrei survived the flight, with temperatures hitting minus 50 degrees Celsius (-58 Fahrenheit), the radio station said. The Boeing-737 has a cruising speed of 900 kmh (560 mph).

The boy reportedly made the journey after a commonplace domestic dispute. Angry with his father, who reportedly has a drinking problem, and with his mother for siding with her husband in family rows, Andrei ran away to the neighboring village, where his grandmother lives. On reaching the village, he decided to go on, and hitched a 220-km (137-mile) ride to the regional center, Perm, where he was dropped off at the airport.

It remains unclear how Andrei was able to climb on a plane wing un-noticed, and the Perm Airport security service is being asked some serious questions, the radio station said.

Andrei is now being treated in a Moscow hospital, Radio Mayak said.

[fenriswolf]

1. no

at those speeds and temperature (not a scientest) wouldnt it be to cold to breath and not enough oxygen to stay concious?

[Joanne98]

4. I don't either. It seems impossible!

[renie408]

2. That sounds WAY farfetched to me.

Hanging on while the plane goes 500 mph? -58 F?? And how high up do they go and what about oxygen?

This just sounds unbelievable to me.

[PDenton]

12. I have trouble believing this

Anybody who has ridden a motorcycle at high speed can tell you about the huge amount of wind-chill factor you get. At 60 miles per hour it feels at least 20-25 degrees cooler than ambient air. Wearing a mesh jacket (which lets alot of air through) in fact, in 65-70 degree weather can feel quite chilly. Do this long enough and you even get hypothermia, all at 70 degrees. Now, just consider this kid was suppossedly on an airliner travelling faster than 400 miles per hour. He should be completely frozen, dead, dessicated. I'd be curious to know if this story is true.

[daninthemoon]

3. no

[BlooInBloo]

5. BWAHAHAAA!!!!

[JuniperLea]

6. Nope

Only in cartoons:)

[Nimrod2005]

7. NO, not true.............nt

[sam sarrha]

8. they would have to fly under 10,000 feet.. he wouldnt have a coat left on at those speeds

[lapfog_1]

9. Wheel well would be possible... wing not so much.

And even the wheel well might be dicey, I don't know how large it is on a 737 or if there is enough room to survive when retracted. Hanging on the wing for a two hour flight, probably to altitudes of 25,000+ feet, very unlikely. Yeah, people hang on to wings of slow moving bi-planes that are a few hundred to a few thousand feet up... but a wing of a 737, no. Even if he was to somehow attach himself via a cable to the wing, he would have more than likely died of exposure. There isn't any mention of a attachment device.

[petronius]

13. Yeah - wheel well maybe, but no way did he hang on to the wing

If he was in the well, he's incredible lucky...

[Lone_Star_Dem]

10. I don't see how

At -50 degrees Celsius hypothermia would have long since passed stage three to stage four. Which is popsicle-boy-on-a-wing stage.

[edhopper]

11. Here's a picture of it

http://a5.vox.com/6a00c225257507604a00cd97244da54cd5-200pi

[lapfog_1]

14. Somehow I knew that would be the picture before I even clicked the link.

If only Shatner had been flying on a 737! That creature would never have been able to hold on!