Teen Stowaway Survives Flight to Kahului in Wheel Well

Hawaiian Airlines at Kahului Airport. File photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

Officials with the FBI in Honolulu have confirmed a report of a 16-year-old boy who stowed away on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from San Jose to Kahului, Maui on Sunday morning.

The FBI’s Tom Simon confirmed details of the report today in an email to Maui Now.

The five-hour 20-minute flight from San Jose to Maui flight arrived at 10:31 a.m. on Sunday, April 20, 2014, at Kahului Airport.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that the boy had run away from his family, and survived cold temperatures and a lack of oxygen while in the wheel well of the plane.

Maui Now has learned that personnel with Hawaiian Airlines on Maui noticed the individual on the ramp after the flight’s arrival and immediately notified airport security.

Authorities say their concern is for the well-being of the boy, and said he is “exceptionally lucky” to have survived.

“Hawaiian and its contractors responsible for handling our aircraft in San Jose are ready to assist various government agencies in their investigation of this incident,” the airline said in a statement.

***Check back for further details which will be posted when they become available.