Aharrowing simulationwas released on YouTube on October 28, showing the fate of two men whohid as stowawaysin the wheel well of an 11-hour trip to the UK in June 2015.
The men, identified asCarlito ValeandThemba, grew up in an orphanage in Mozambique’s second city, Beira, and were determined to escape the rough conditions of their home country to seek a better life in London.
The gamble paid off, as they were successfully able to board the plane, but the men did not account for the changes in atmosphere, lack of oxygen, and cold temperatures of the metallic area they were hiding in, causing one of them tofall to his death.
YouTuber Zack D. Films recreated their ordeal in gruesome detail, and it has gone viral, with more than 23 million views since its upload.
RELATED:
A horrifying simulation recreated what happened to two men who hid inside an airplane’s wheel well during an 11-hour flight to London
Image credits:Yassen Kounchev/Pexels (Not an actual photo)
“As the plane ascended, the temperature dropped to minus 60 degrees, and oxygen levels became dangerously low, causing both to pass out,” the video explains. It then shows, via 3D models, how the men managed to climb into the plane’s wheel well before takeoff.
Image credits:Zack D. Films
In a 2021 interview withThe Guardian, Justin recounted the before-and-after of his daring gamble alongside his friend.
“He said: ‘We made it,’ and then I passed out with the lack of oxygen,” he said, referring to his friend Carlito, who, as thesimulationshows, slipped through the opening in the wheel well mid-flight, causing him to fall 1400 feet to his death.
Justin was spared the fate of his friend due to becoming tangled in the wires surrounding the wheel, leaving burn marks on his arms and torso
Carlito’s fall madeheadlinesin the UK after his body was found on a roof on June 19, 2015, as the plane approached the London Heathrow Airport.
Reports stated that the plane was a Boeing 747, corresponding to British Airways Flight 54, which departed fromJohannesburgon Thursday night and arrived in London at 7:26 in the morning.
Speculation at the time said that Justin and his friend had received inside help to gain entry to the airport. Still, he is adamant that they did everything independently, jumping over security fences and putting on layers of clothing inpreparation.
Interestingly, Justin’s account differs from what was shown in the YouTube video, as he showed the severe burns he sustained on his arms and torso due to becoming tangled in the wheel well’s cabling, which he said was what prevented him from falling.
The viral clip, on the other hand, shows the man fully awake and desperately holding on to the iron bars of the wheel. In the interview, Justin explained how he slipped in and out of consciousness, only becoming fully awake once he was already lying on the London runway with his leg broken.
The survivor is now living in Liverpool but stated that he still struggles with survivor’s guilt years after the tragic incident
Justin confessed toThe Guardianthat he suffers from some survivor’s guilt to this day, fondly remembering the conversations he had with his friend Carlito before the incident.
“He said that he wanted to be a DJ and that he was going to return and get his daughter after a few years,” he recalled. “I wished the best for him, and so I thought it was a good idea for us because we were looking for abetter future.”
Upon waking up in a hospital bed, London police approached Justin to show him a photograph of Carlito, as investigations were still underway to determine his identity.
“When the plane landed, I fell out and remembered thinking Carlito must still be in it,” he explained. “But then later they showed me the passport and said: ‘Do you know this guy?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ They told me he didn’t make it, and I was shocked.”
Netizens joked about the ordeal pictured in the recreation, pointing out how lucky Justin was to have survived such adverse conditions
“This guy survived without oxygen, didn’t freeze to death, endured -60 degrees, then didn’t die from the fall. He should have bought alottery ticketon that day,” one user wrote.
“I mean, plane ticket prices are getting out of hand,” another laughed.
“What a tragedy! I’ve watched the full documentary… It’s a life lesson to think the grass is greener on the other side.”
“This is a nightmare.” While some viewers lamented the fate of the stowaways, others pointed out how lucky the survivor was
Thanks! Check out the results:Karina Babenok
Lei RV
Renan Duarte
News
