The majority of teenagers would hate being sent away from their families and friends, especially if they were to be sent to a Catholic residential school where there were rigid rules that had to be followed.
Australian teenager Keith Sapsford, then 14 years old, experienced a similar situation in 1970. After only a few weeks, he made the decision to flee, demonstrating his determination to escape this predicament, but he made no decision to return home.
Instead, he made the decision to leave Australia entirely. Keith Sapsford left his school and drove himself to the Sydney airport. Keith got to the airport and snuck onto the tarmac where a few planes were waiting.
He managed to escape on one plane that was bound for Tokyo, Japan. He gave in to temptation and entered the open undercarriage of the Japan Air Lines.
What drove him to make this desperate move?
The History of Keith Sapsford
Events that took place months before Keith stepped out onto that tarmac affected his choices and ultimately caused him to climb onto that plane’s wheel well. Keith’s father, Charles Sapsford, had told his son a story about a Spanish boy who had perished as a result of climbing into an airplane’s undercarriage.
Without a pressurized compartment, that boy had been exposed to the high altitude. It ultimately resulted in his death.
Keith’s father had hoped to talk his daring son out of taking such a chance, but it seems to have motivated him to board a plane for Japan. Keith, who was born in 1956, was a curious young man who enjoyed being active.
In fact, his family had just returned from a trip abroad to sate his wanderlust. Unfortunately, he had a tendency to disappear, and even a lengthy international trip could not stop his wanderlust.
But when they got back home, Keith Sapsford started to feel restless. His parents decided that he needed some structure and formalized discipline. Keith was deemed to be best suited for Boys’ Town, a Roman Catholic school situated in Sydney’s southern region.
This facility specialized in working with troubled kids who required structure and a formal system of discipline. Helping him find the best path seemed right in their parents’ eyes.
Keith was only in the institution for two weeks before he was able to escape because the facility misjudged his sense of adventure. Keith may not have even known the plane’s destination when he climbed into the wheel well; it is unclear what made him decide to go to the airport.
It is not surprising that a teenager was able to sneak onto the tarmac because regulations at major airports were simpler than those we deal with today.
Keith decided to take a chance when he saw a Douglas DC-8 getting ready to take off. Unlike that Spanish boy, he believed he would be able to survive because Keith would be in the wheel well. Keith thought he could escape the perils of exposure to high altitude.
Keith Sapsford did not realize, however, that after takeoff, when the plane’s wheels retracted, the wheel-well compartment would reopen. Keith died after falling 200 feet as a result of that.
The evidence, in his father’s opinion, suggested that Keith might have also been mowed down by the wheels as they tried to retract. In either case, a family suffered a tragic loss of life and heartbreak as a result. That heartbreak would last for more than 40 years, until his parents died.
One study by the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority revealed that only one out of every four stowaways on an airplane make it through the flight. On short, low-altitude flights, survivors board as stowaways; however, when an aircraft reaches cruising altitude, there are no surviving stowaways.
Statistics show that over the course of 85 flights, there were 96 attempts to stow away in the wheel-well compartments between 1947 and 2012. 23 of them were still alive. Thus, 73 people lost their lives while trying to obtain a free trip.
Ignoring this information and making an attempt to stow away can end tragically, as Keith Sapsford’s tale demonstrates.
A Photographer Snaps Heartbreaking Fall
John Gilpin, a beginner photographer, just so happened to be at the airport. He was photographing activities at the airport in the hopes that one or two would turn out well. John would eventually capture Keith Sapsford as he plunged to his death, despite the fact that he was unaware of this at the time.
Before the plane took off, Keith had already spent a number of hours in the wheel well. Experts later discovered handprints, footprints, and clothing threads when they examined the plane. To demonstrate that Keith had boarded the aircraft, they required all available proof.
Even more tragically, Keith would have probably frozen or suffocated to death if he hadn’t fallen out of the plane. It was not oxygenated and the compartment reached freezing temperatures.
Keith Sapsford had little insulation against the change in temperature that would happen as the plane rose to its cruising altitude because he was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts. There wasn’t enough room in their compartment for both him and the retracting wheels, so even they posed a threat.
Surprisingly, John didn’t become aware of what he had photographed until almost a week later. John noticed a print of a boy falling from the plane feet first while developing his photos from the day at the airport. He appeared to be reaching up with his hands in an effort to grab onto something and prevent falling.
The image serves as a chilling reminder of the young boy’s tragic death while making a last-ditch effort to leave his school and see the outside world.
Before Radar: How Giant Acoustic Mirrors Detected Enemy Aircraft in WWI and WWII
Long before radar revolutionized air defense, enormous acoustic mirrors and specialized sound locators stood as the first line of defense against enemy aircraft. Designed as giant “ears,” these structures amplified distant engine noises, allowing operators to detect incoming planes by sound alone. Dive into the intriguing world of these pioneering listening devices, their operation, limitations, and enduring legacy in military history.
Irena Sendler: woman who rescued Jews during holocaust
Irene Sendler was the Zegota resistance group's head of the children's department. She risked her life to smuggle children out of the Warsaw ghetto, place them with Polish families or orphanages, give each child a new identity, and keep records so that they could be returned to their families. In 1943, the Gestapo arrested and sentenced her to death, but she was rescued by Zegota.
Thomas Baker's heroic act that earned him the "Medal of Honor" was 8 bullets until death
Thomas Baker instructed his team to leave him with a pistol and eight bullets propped up against a tree after he was injured. Later, American troops discovered the now-deceased Baker in the same location, lying next to eight dead Japanese soldiers and carrying an empty pistol.
Story of Kathrine Switzer: the first woman to run in Boston Marathon
Before women were allowed to run in the Boston Marathon, Kathrine Switzer participated. A race official attempted to forcefully remove her from the race in 1967, but her boyfriend pushed him down. She was the first female finisher who had a numbered entry in the race.
How Cleveland's Balloonfest in 1986 Turned Into a Public Tragedy
In Cleveland, Ohio, United Way broke the world record by deflating nearly 1.5 million balloons as part of a publicity stunt to raise money. The balloon obstructed a US Coast Guard search for two boaters who were subsequently discovered to have drowned, blocked airport runways, and blocked land and waterways.
Nuclear bomb accidentally dropped on North Carolina in 196
4 January 1961: The 4241st Strategic Wing's Boeing B-52G-95-BW Stratofortress, serial number 58-0187, was on a 24-hour airborne alert mission off the United States' Atlantic Coast.
William James Sidis: The smartest person yet forgotten by people
William James Sidis, who was only 11 years old when he enrolled in Hardvard, finished his primary and secondary schooling in less than a year. He knew eight foreign languages by the age of eight and even invented his own language, "vedergood."
Mario Segale, Developer Who Inspired Nintendo to Name Super Mario
Super Mario is named after real-life businessman Mario Segale, who was renting out a warehouse to Nintendo. After Nintendo fell far behind on rent, Segale did not evict them but gave them a second chance to come up with the money. Nintendo succeeded and named their main character after him.
D.B. Cooper: Man who hijacked a plane and jumped out with a $200,000
On November 22, 1971, DB Cooper hijacked a Boeing 727, drank a whisky, smoked a fag, and then jumped out of the plane with $200,000. He was never again seen.
How did Howard Florey discover penicillin
Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming, but he never attempted to turn it into an antibiotic. It wasn't until ten years later that Howard Florey discovered Fleming's obscure paper and understood the mold's potential. Up to 200 million lives may have been saved as a result of Florey's work.
Mother who spent entire life savings for daughter’s cancer treatment won the lottery
A mother won $2 million from a $10 scratch-off lottery ticket after she spent all of her entire life savings to pay her daughter’s cancer treatment. She bought the winning ticket after her daughter’s last cancer treatment.
Moondyne Joe: The story of Australia's most notorious prison escapee
A man named Joseph Bolitho Johns (A.K.A Moondyne Joe) broke out of Australian prisons so many times that the police were compelled to build a special cell just for him. He escaped from that as well.
The history of Flour sack clothing fashion
After Kansas mill owners found women reused flour sack materials into apparel in the 1920s and 1930s, they started applying patterned designs to give families with more fashionable patterns and material.
The touching story of David Vetter (bubble boy), the 'boy who lived in a bubble
David Vetter lived his whole 12 years in sterile “bubble”. He was “outside” for 20 second after being removed from his mother’s womb. He never touched any human.
story of the youngest mother in the world at age of five - Lina Medina
Lina Medina, a five-year-old Peruvian girl, became the youngest mother in history in 1939 when she gave birth to a boy.
Philippines, the largest supplier of Nurses in the World
Philippines is the world’s largest supplier of nurses, supplying roughly 25% of all overseas nurses worldwide.
Tunnels Dug by ancient giant sloths, A South American Megafauna
For years, scientists didn’t know what caused mysterious cave networks in South America. In 2010, they learned that the caves were actually tunnels dug by ancient giant sloths
Nearest Green, America's first known Black master distiller
Nathan "Nearest" Green was an African-American head stiller who is now more frequently referred to as a master distiller. He was renowned for imparting his distilling knowledge to Jack Daniel, the creator of Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey distiller, after Jack Daniel was freed from slavery following the American Civil War.
How 18th Century Women’s Rights Movements Shaped Modern Equality
The 18th century marked a turning point in the quest for women’s rights, as passionate voices challenged centuries of gender inequality and laid the groundwork for modern feminism. From pioneers like Mary Wollstonecraft to revolutionary declarations and early advocacy, this era sparked debates on education, political participation, and social justice that continue to resonate today. Journey through the origins of women’s rights movements and discover how their bold ideas shaped the fight for equality.
The 1814 London beer flood
In 1814, there was a beer flood in London when a tank containing more than 300,000 gallons ruptured in which 8 people drowned.
During the 1996 Olympic bombing, Richard Jewell falsely accused of committing the crime after saving dozens of people
Richard Jewell, an American security guard, discovered a bomb during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and assisted in the evacuation, but was later wrongfully accused and faced public scrutiny. He was cleared, but it had a lasting impact on him until his death in 2007 at the age of 44.
History of Treadmill, punishment for prisoners
Treadmills were originally a punishment used to harness human power on a giant wheel used to grind grains, hence the name "treadmill." The History of Treadmill
1972 Andes Plane Crash Survivor recall the terrifying Struggles to Stay Alive
On October 13, 1972, a plane carrying a rugby team from Uruguay crashed in the Andes between Chile and Argentina. The survivors were in brutal conditions - high altitude, bitter cold, and the lack of food—and faced the most terrible choice—eating the frozen flesh of their dead friends or starving to death themselves.
Roller Coasters were First Invented to Distract People from sin
Roller coasters were invented to distract Americans from sin. In the 1880s, hosiery businessman LaMarcus Thompson didn’t like that Americans were going to places like saloons and brothels and created the first roller coaster on Coney Island to persuade them to go there instead.
The Amazing Truth About The German U-Boat That Was Sunk By A Toilet
During WWII, a German captain and an engineer flushed the submarine's high-tech toilet incorrectly, causing the vessel to rapidly fill with water. British planes patrolling the sea attacked them as the submarine was brought to the surface. While many members of the crew were killed in the attack, the captain escaped!
