The story sounds incredible, like something you'd come across in a comic book or movie. A 16-year-old California teen reportedly crawled into a jumbo jet's wheel well (where the landing gear mid-flight) and fell asleep. The plane, though, wasn't out of service, in fact it was on its way for a multi-hour flight across the Pacific Ocean and into Hawaii. At altitudes nearing 40,000 feet, the fact that this boy survived the journey at all is baffling. 

But some aviation experts don't buy this story... they think it sounds to good to be true. ABC News aviation consultant John Nance sounded off about the supposed wheel-well flight.

"Somebody surviving at 35,000 feet for five hours with no supplemental oxygen supply; I just don't believe it," he said.

ABC News chief health and medical correspondent Dr. Richard Besser is, like Nance, skeptical that such a journey took place. He mentions that would-be stowaways would almost certainly die do to the lack of oxygen.

"At high altitudes your body succumbs to hypoxia. It doesn't get the oxygen it needs to survive and most people would pass out and die within a few minutes."

And along with the high-altitude, temperatures aboard Hawaii flight 45 were well below freezing. 

Besser went on to say that "the other thing that would happen is hypothermia. At that height you're going to freeze to death."

With all these findings is it possible that the teen is telling the truth? The only way he could have survived, and such a condition is extremely rare, is that he went into hibernation. Yes, like a bear in winter.

"We see this with hibernating animals when their breathing and heart beat slows down to a couple of times per minute and it's possible if your body slows down enough it doesn't need as much oxygen and you survive," he said.

And while rare, the FAA has documented two such instances!

Still, surviving in the wheel-well is a feat that draws many skeptics. Even if the lack of oxygen or extreme cold doesn't kill a person, they'll likely be crushed by the multitude of hydraulics inside of it. Or they'll just fall out of the place when the landing gear is activated and the compartment opens.

"It's almost miraculous," Besser remarked. "Maybe there's more to the story."

Perhaps there is. But in this 24/7 news cycle world, we'll likely never find out the truth behind the matter, but tomorrow nearly everyone will have moved on to more unusual stories.

One thing that won't be forgotten so soon, though, is the lack of airport security. The lapse in security that allowed the boy to walk through the airfield and onto the plane in the first place is being reviewed.

Checkout video of the story below:

So what do you think of the boy's story. Do you believe he's telling the truth? Let us know in the comments section below.