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My question is exactly where a person could contort their body so as not to be mangled by the gear retraction system and very limited space. Some lived and died in the nose well and as I remember it, most aircraft at least provide half the nose wheel diameter (for several feet) to the nose strut (between strut and gear doors). The nose doors suddenly opening would explain why they fell to their death.

Presumably most people attempt to stow in the main gear and I just don't understand how?

WIKI lists approximately 150 known wheel stowaways. A cursory review shows about 20% percent lived through the ordeal. Most die of hypothermia, hypoxia, trauma from falling on the ground or in the air, but a few are crushed or mangled. Despite my knowledge as a pilot and A&P, I could not make an educated guess what a person would need to do as the gear retracted to keep from being crushed.

Medical issues are not part of this question and were covered by WIKI and reviewed in a related question that asked "How can a stowaway hide in the undercarriage?" on SE. No precise aircraft volumetric space capability was given or the "aerobatics" (I could not resist) needed as the gear retracted.

I am particularly impressed that stowaways survived DC-3, DC-8, and most surprising is the B737; these are all aircraft I have worked on and can not imagine how it is done. No one listed attempted B757 but there is a somewhat spacious 12-18in in front of the retracted main gear for cables, fuel lines and valves that could possibly allow a human space.

jwzumwalt
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    Mid-60s alternative: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31700049 :D –  Apr 03 '18 at 11:27
  • That's funny. I had never heard about that. How many stamps would it take to send me to Australia? – jwzumwalt Apr 03 '18 at 11:38
  • Well, considering that at least the DC-3 is unpressurized, at least oxygen supply should be less of a concern than on modern jets. Its service ceiling of 5,000 m might be problematic, but not necessarily lethal. – user Apr 03 '18 at 12:18
  • But the DC-3 (and Beech 18) gear folds back like a scissor (two struts and crossbar) directly behind the firewall (the tire is only about 30in dia) - not anything I want to be holding on to... it retract/extends VERY slow so at least you aren't likely to fall out. – jwzumwalt Apr 03 '18 at 12:40
  • @MichaelKjörling Airliner cargo holds of today are generally inside the pressure vessel. Living things are transported inside them regularly (and they usually survive.) Even if they didn't transport living things, who would want their baggage frozen at -40 C when it arrived? But, of course, the primary reason is just that it's easiest to design the aircraft fuselage itself to be the pressure vessel. – reirab Apr 03 '18 at 20:16
  • From my experience, cargo holds are not accessible to a stowaway on foot. They are too high and the doors are only open during loading. There is always a baggage handler inside that would see someone, and the doors are immediately closed when loading is complete. All current airliners in the western world connect the cargo and cabin through vents near the cabin wall to prevent the floor buckling during explosive decompression. – jwzumwalt Apr 03 '18 at 21:04

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For the 737, I think this rather sad photo provides one answer:

enter image description here

(Source)

The body of a stowaway was found in a Kenya Airways flight from Kinshasa in the DRC on Sunday.
The body was found after the plane landed at the JKIA, preliminary reports indicating the person froze to death.

And, as you can see in this photo, the ledge there (on the left forward side of the main wheel well) is indeed just wide enough for a slim person to contort themselves into:

enter image description here

(Source)

But, as you can see at the end of this video, there certainly isn't a lot of room for the stowaway's legs.

Fiddlesticks
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