Nairobi to the Netherlands without a Visa

After I discovered I’m not going to the US, I stumbled on a random video on YouTube last night one of those “craziest survival stories.” I dunno if I'm jealous or I'm proud of him. This is Benedict’s story.

In January 2022, a 23-year-old Kenyan man somehow tired of this Nairobi life slipped past JKIA security and climbed into the wheel well of a CargoLux cargo plane. The aircraft had just made a stopover from Johannesburg and was heading to Amsterdam. No seat. No oxygen mask. Just cold metal, moving parts, and an open gamble with death. He was either very stupid… or very courageous.

For nine hours, at 38,000 feet, Benedict’s world was darkness, -50°C temperatures, and almost no oxygen. Most people would die within minutes. He blacked out somewhere mid-journey.

When the plane landed in the Netherlands, engineers came to check the undercarriage. At first they thought they’d found a body. Then one of them noticed movement. Against every odd, Benedict was still alive.

He woke up in a Dutch hospital, frostbitten, weak, and in disbelief.

Authorities considered deporting him, but a pro-bono lawyer spotted a legal loophole, because he wasn’t officially denied entry before being rushed to hospital, it counted as him being admitted to the Netherlands. The court agreed. Benedict was granted asylum, given medical care, housing, and the right to work.

From a freezing wheel well to legal residency in Europe all because he survived what should have been a suicide flight.

It’s wild what desperation can push a person to do… and how luck can flip your whole life in a single heartbeat. Damnn