A man hitched a ride on a plane to get out of his home country in hopes of landing stateside ... somehow surviving the mile-high journey in the underbelly of the aircraft.
The 26-year-old was taken into custody Saturday after Miami-Dade Airport crew members found this dude exhausted and sprawled out on the tarmac, near the tires of an American Airlines flight that had just touched down from Guatemala City ... about 3 hours away.
Apparently, the guy snuck his way into the landing compartment of the plane -- where the wheel tucks in, it seems -- and hung tight until it reached its final destination.
As you can see from video taken from folks on the ground, this man is out of it ... but many simply can't believe he was able to live through the ordeal, as the oxygen levels must've been damn near untenable, not to mention the sheer logistics of finding space in there.
Authorities discovered an apparent stowaway Saturday in the landing gear of a flight from Guatemala at the Miami International Airport, local and federal officials said.
— 🌍James Julmis🌍 (@julmisjames) November 28, 2021
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the airport apprehended a 26-year-old man. pic.twitter.com/6QhqjDgJ1L
Clearly, it's doable ... as there've been other notable stowaway stories like this -- although, most who take to the skies like this do end up losing their lives. Only a handful survive.
Naturally, the authorities swarmed the scene ... including first responders who checked on the guy. The feds also got involved, with Customs and Border Protection agents taking him into their care while they figure out his situation. They're investigating the case further.
Here's the crazier part ... according to an immigration attorney interviewed by Miami's WPLG Local 10, the guy could stick around if he wins an asylum claim -- at which point, AA would have to foot the bill for his stay. If not, they have to cover the cost of sending him back.