Two African migrants desperately tried to get to London as they hid in the wheel well of a passenger plane for 11 hours. But what started as a desperate attempt to escape poverty and travel to London turned into a terrifying journey through freezing skies at 30,000 feet. A new simulation has now laid bare just how brutal the ordeal truly was.
A viral recreation has stunned viewers after showing the fate of two young men who hid in the wheel well of a passenger plane for an 11-hour flight, hoping it would carry them toward a better life.
Carlito Vale, from Mozambique’s second-largest city, Beira, and a South African man named Justin, were pursuing a new life in the UK.
However, their journey toward hope quickly became a fight for survival. Their plan was simple but extremely risky: cling to the landing gear of a departing aircraft and ride it out of the country.
What followed was anything but a walk in the park. While it has long been believed that the men may have received inside help to get into the airport, speaking to The Guardian, Justin explained they acted alone.
Simulation reveals what happened to 2 men who hid inside a plane wheel for 11 hours
In June 2015, with determination, they climbed over perimeter fences and layered their clothing in preparation for escape. Only one of them made it out alive.
Justin later recalled, “I remember when I spoke to Carlito … he said that he wanted to be a DJ and that he was going to go back and get his daughter after a few years,” Justin said. “I really wished the best for him, and so I thought it was a good idea for us because we were looking for a better future.”
“I was not far from the engine. You could feel it outside when it was spinning,” he continued, explaining how he suffered burn injuries after wrapping his arms around cables, which, in the end, was a literal life-saver. “You could even see the houses down there when the plane was flying.”
As the aircraft climbed, temperatures inside the wheel well reportedly dropped to around -60°C (-76°F). As oxygen levels dropped rapidly during the ascent, the men became unconscious. The plane then continued its journey across continents with them on board.
The gravity of their situation becomes evident in a chilling simulation posted by YouTuber Zack D. Films. It shows how quickly the situation became deadly once the aircraft reached cruising altitude.
Revealed the last words he exchanged with his friend before falling out of plane
In the recreated footage, one of the men, Carlito, loses his grip and falls from the aircraft during the flight, a tragic moment that leaves the other alone in the freezing darkness.
Meanwhile, the simulation depicts Justin surviving the fall but being severely injured upon landing. In real life, reports say he later survived but suffered life-changing injuries and trauma, while his friend did not make it.
Speaking with The Guardian in 2016, Justin, who at the time lived in Liverpool, revealed the last words he exchanged with a friend whose body fell as it prepared to land at Heathrow.
“He said: ‘We made it,’ and then I passed out with the lack of oxygen,” Justin said. “When the plane landed, I fell out and remember thinking that Carlito must still be in it. But then later they showed me the passport and said: do you know this guy? I said yeah. They told me that he didn’t make it, and I was shocked.”
The simulation, viewed millions of times online, has sparked strong emotional reactions. Many are shocked by the extreme conditions inside an aircraft wheel well.
Experts have long warned that survival in such an environment is almost impossible due to a lack of oxygen, extreme cold, and the danger of falling during landing.
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