A truly tragic incident has occurred with the use of suspicious stowaway. Authorities, including the FBI, found a body in the wheel well of a United Airlines jet that landed safely in Maui after flying from Chicago to Honolulu. The plane arrived two weeks ago to Fort Lauderdale. It had flown in from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. This most recent discovery has spurred an ongoing investigation by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is currently investigating her suspicious death. During this dangerous time, they are tirelessly working around the clock to identify the stowaway’s situation and why it is happening. An untold number of stowaway deaths occur every year. Statistics indicate around three-in-four would-be stowaways on an airplane’s undercarriage perish in transit. The extreme cold and low oxygen levels at high altitudes are major factors in these deaths.
In a similar incident this past spring, two people were found dead in the landing gear compartment of a JetBlue flight. This recent incident that happened at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The JetBlue aircraft had flown in that same day from Kingston, Jamaica, and Salt Lake City, Utah. This most recent incident serves as a reminder of the risks experienced by anyone who makes the perilous decision to try to stowaway on a passenger flight.
Maintenance workers recently found the body of a presumed stowaway. They discovered it stowed in the landing gear compartment of an American Airlines flight that had just arrived from Europe. This discovery came, most unfortunately, on Sunday morning as the plane was still in maintenance at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has released a statement as well, which acknowledges their own ongoing investigation into this incident.
These events are disturbing and remind us that there are still serious dangers involved in stowing away on cargo aircraft. The harsh conditions ensuing all inside the wheel wells and landing gear compartments pose extreme hazards. Additionally, anyone who tries to make these dangerous trips is under enormous threat.