Stowaway Found Dead in American Airlines Jet
Police say a stowaway was discovered dead in the wheel well of an American Airlines plane at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Sunday morning. The aircraft had just arrived from Europe when maintenance workers found the body around 9 a.m., according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Authorities have not released details about the individual’s identity or the specific city where the flight originated. Detectives from the homicide unit are investigating the case, though officials noted that such incidents are rare but often fatal due to extreme conditions inside the landing gear compartment.
Wheel wells are not designed for human survival, as temperatures at cruising altitude can drop far below freezing and oxygen levels are dangerously low. Research by the Flight Safety Foundation and the Federal Aviation Administration shows that survival in these compartments is extremely unlikely, with only a handful of documented cases worldwide.
Earlier this year, two bodies were found in the wheel well of a JetBlue aircraft after a flight from New York to Fort Lauderdale. In December, another body was discovered on a United Airlines jet that landed in Hawaii from Chicago. In rare instances, stowaways have survived, including a man who endured a flight from Guatemala to Miami in 2021 and a teenager who survived a journey from California to Hawaii in 2014.
American Airlines said it is cooperating fully with authorities as the investigation continues. The discovery highlights both the risks of stowaway attempts and the ongoing challenges of airport security worldwide.
Related News: https://airguide.info/category/air-travel-business/travel-health-security/
Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, nytimes.com