The Body of a Stowaway Was Found in the Landing Gear after a Transatlantic Flight (3 photos)
On September 28, a flight from Europe arrived at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, USA. While maintenance crews were conducting a routine inspection of the American Airlines plane, they discovered a body in the landing gear compartment. 
Arriving paramedics pronounced the unidentified person dead. Police have launched an investigation. 
This is the second such incident this year. In January, the bodies of two unauthorized passengers were found in the landing gear of a JetBlue plane. After the plane landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Florida, staff discovered the bodies of Jamaican citizens: 18-year-old Jake Aniluz Lucey and 16-year-old Elvis Borquez Castillo.
In December 2024, a dead passenger was also found in the wheel well of a United Airlines Boeing 787-10. The plane was en route from Chicago to Maui, Hawaii. 
Stowaways most often hide in the landing gear compartment. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration, more than 77% of people who stow away illegally on board planes die. They risk being crushed by the landing gear, suffering frostbite, or dying from oxygen deprivation at high altitude.
