Stowaway found dead in landing gear of American Airlines flight in Charlotte

"Police say they are investigating the death of a stowaway found Sunday morning inside the landing gear compartment of an American Airlines flight that had recently arrived in Charlotte, N.C., from Europe. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said maintenance staff discovered the body shortly after 9 a.m. Sunday while servicing the aircraft. Officers from CMPD's Airport Division pronounced the individual dead at the scene. Homicide detectives and crime scene teams responded, and the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy."

"Cases of stowaways hiding in wheel wells are rare but not unprecedented and survival is rarer still. Last week, a 13-year-old boy miraculously survived a 90-minute Kam Air flight from Kabul to Delhi, after he slipped into the plane's landing gear compartment. The boy, who was repatriated back to Afghanistan, told local authorities he had wandered into the compartment out of curiosity. Other incidents have ended in tragedy. In January, two bodies were found in the landing gear of a JetBlue aircraft that had landed in Fort Lauderdale."

A stowaway was found dead inside the landing gear compartment of an American Airlines flight that had arrived in Charlotte, N.C., from Europe. Maintenance staff discovered the body shortly after 9 a.m., and officers from CMPD's Airport Division pronounced the individual dead at the scene. Homicide detectives and crime scene teams responded, and the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy. American Airlines confirmed the discovery and said it is cooperating with law enforcement. There were no immediate details about the individual's identity, how they entered the aircraft, or the flight's European origin. Wheel-well stowaway attempts are rare and survival during long flights is highly unlikely due to freezing temperatures, extreme wind chill and lack of oxygen. The case remains under investigation; authorities ask anyone with information to contact the CMPD Homicide Unit or submit an anonymous tip through Charlotte Crime Stoppers.

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