The Scary Story Of Keith Sapsford: The Falling Stowaway

[GON]

Recently came across this very tragic story. The fall from the aircraft was a by chance capture from a photographer.

" An infamous photograph from 1970 shows Keith Sapsford falling from a departing plane. On February 22 of that year, 14-year-old Keith Sapsford, a resident of Sydney, Australia's Randwick suburb, climbed into the wheel well of a Tokyo-bound Douglas DC-8. This was the last decision he ever made."

https://vocal.media/horror/the-tragic-falling-story-of-keith-sapsford

 

[jetman]

lacking in frontal lobe development

 

[Passport1]

A Darwin Award contestant or a D.B. Cooper antecedent sans money satchel and parachute?

D B Cooper

 

[Passport1]

A Darwin Award contestant or a D.B. Cooper prototype?

 

[GON]

A Darwin Award contestant or a D.B. Cooper prototype?

I have empathy for the situation based on the teenager's age (14 years old).

 

[Snagglefoot]

August 16, 2021, some Afghanis go sky diving from a C-17 but without parachutes.

 

[Astro14]

This happens periodically - people who think they can “hide” in the airplane, external to the pressurized fuselage, not realizing the lack of oxygen, or the -65 temperatures, at cruise altitude.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/07/us/bodies-found-in-jetblue-flight-compartment/index.html

 

[alcyon]

The story in the link sounds like it was written by A.I.
What I want to know is did the police search for his body after seeing the photo ?

 

[GON]

The story in the link sounds like it was written by A.I.
What I want to know is did the police search for his body after seeing the photo ?

Here is a article from a published major newspaper in New Zealand that may provide a supplemental look at the story:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/st...ney-and-the-world/SDLNOL3DEIXDOOGTLGPVHJQ4PI/

 

[chainblu]

I don't doubt the article but looks like a full-grown man.

 

[GON]

I don't doubt the article but looks like a full-grown man.

Something I failed to post in the beginning of this thread is the photographer reportedly didn't know he had captured a picture of the teen falling in midair.

While the photographer was going through film negatives weeks after the teenager's fall did the photographer discover he had in fact, unknow that he captured a picture of the teenager falling from the airliner while in mid-air.

 

[john_pifer]

Here is a article from a published major newspaper in New Zealand that may provide a supplemental look at the story:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/st...ney-and-the-world/SDLNOL3DEIXDOOGTLGPVHJQ4PI/

I just read the article. I was absolutely shocked to learn that over 20 stowaways in landing gear wheel well compartments have actually survived, including one from San Jose to Hawaii!

How?!

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

While there are some non pilots who are aware you cannot breath ( without cabin pressurization ) up high without supplemenatl oxygen, anytime I tell people that it’s extremely cold at high altitude, regardless where you take off from , they are amazed and didn’t know.

Summer, winter, it doesn’t matter - it’s extremely cold at cruise altitude in a Jet.

Todays flight from TQO Mexico is showing a top of climb ( 36,000 feet ) OAT of -50C.

Not sure how that guy could breath going from San Jose to Hawaii unless he used to be a mountain climbing guide in Nepal.

 

[Pablo]

Sad, but got to admit, the chance of a photo like that pre cell, amazing.

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

Sad story.

He was 14, I have done some really dumb things that if people knew they might not view me the same way but I survived ( not flying stuff ).

He would have been 69 today.


RIP.

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33222405