A stowaway was found dead in the landing gear of an American Airlines flight that arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina, from Europe on Sunday, September 28, according to authorities.
The body was discovered around 9 a.m. by crews performing maintenance on the plane. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said the airport division officers declared the stowaway was dead at the scene, per ABC News.
“CLT Airport is aware of the tragic discovery involving a deceased individual found in the landing gear of an American Airlines aircraft this morning,” a spokesperson for the airport told USA Today via email on September 28. “We are deeply saddened by this news and will support the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s investigation as needed.”
Despite the disturbing incident, the airport continued on as normal on September 28.
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CMPD’s Homicide Unit Detectives and Crime Scene Search responded to the scene to investigate the situation, as well as collect physical evidence, according to USA Today. Additionally, Operations Command and MEDIC reported to the scene for assistance.
Following the incident, aviation analyst John Nance told ABC News that being a stowaway on a plane is extremely dangerous and almost always results in death. “A human body exposed for many hours to temperatures as low as minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit courts extensive frostbite and loss of limbs, even if the utter lack of oxygen at 35,000 feet or more doesn’t result in brain death,” Nance said.
After noting that there have been rare cases of survival, Nance said it’s almost unheard of and the risks of being a stowaway will impact both passengers and the crew.
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The recent incident took place eight months after the bodies of two Dominican teenagers were found inside the landing gear of a JetBlue passenger plane in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, according to USA Today. Maintenance crews discovered their bodies during a routine post-flight inspection of the plane after the flight arrived from New York. It is still unclear how they got onto the plane and how long they were inside the landing gear before their deaths.
