That kid was dead within 15 minutes of the plane leaving Charlotte. If the hypoxia didn't kill him quickly, the cold certainly would have. And then there is the hydraulics of the wheels themselves. It's just an insane thing to do.

Seems like anybody with half a brain would have known that this was suicidal, especially after the Payne Stewart crash http://www.airsafe.com/stewart.htm

Very sad story.