Stowaway Hides in Landing Area of Plane During Flight from Guatemala

A man hitched a ride on a plane to get out of his home country in hopes of landing stateside ... somehow surviving the mile-high journey in the underbelly of the aircraft.

The 26-year-old was taken into custody Saturday after Miami-Dade Airport crew members found this dude exhausted and sprawled out on the tarmac, near the tires of an American Airlines flight that had just touched down from Guatemala City ... about 3 hours away.

Apparently, the guy snuck his way into the landing compartment of the plane -- where the wheel tucks in, it seems -- and hung tight until it reached its final destination.

As you can see from video taken from folks on the ground, this man is out of it ... but many simply can't believe he was able to live through the ordeal, as the oxygen levels must've been damn near untenable, not to mention the sheer logistics of finding space in there.

Clearly, it's doable ... as there've been other notable stowaway stories like this -- although, most who take to the skies like this do end up losing their lives. Only a handful survive.

Naturally, the authorities swarmed the scene ... including first responders who checked on the guy. The feds also got involved, with Customs and Border Protection agents taking him into their care while they figure out his situation. They're investigating the case further.