Stowaway Found Deceased in Aircraft’s Landing Gear at Charlotte Airport
An unusual and tragic discovery was made at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Sunday morning. Maintenance staff of an American Airlines aircraft found the body of a stowaway in the landing gear compartment after the plane arrived from Europe.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) reported that the body was discovered shortly after 9 a.m. Officers from the CMPD’s Airport Division confirmed the individual’s death at the scene, and the case was handed over to homicide detectives and crime scene teams for further investigation. An autopsy will be conducted by the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death.
In a statement to NPR, an American Airlines spokesperson acknowledged the incident, stating the airline is “working with law enforcement on its investigation.” As of now, the identity of the stowaway and details about how they accessed the aircraft remain unknown.
Incidents involving stowaways hiding in the wheel wells of airplanes are rare, and surviving such a dangerous journey is even more uncommon. Last week, however, a 13-year-old boy defied the odds by surviving a 90-minute flight from Kabul to Delhi in the landing gear compartment of a Kam Air flight. The boy was returned to Afghanistan after explaining to local authorities that his actions were driven by curiosity.
Not all such cases have ended on a positive note. In January, tragedy struck when two bodies were discovered in the landing gear of a JetBlue aircraft that had landed in Fort Lauderdale.
Experts highlight the extreme conditions of wheel well compartments, where freezing temperatures, severe wind chill, and lack of oxygen make survival on long flights nearly impossible.
The investigation into the Charlotte case is ongoing. Authorities are appealing for information and urge anyone with details to contact the CMPD Homicide Unit at 704-432-8477 or to provide an anonymous tip through Charlotte Crime Stoppers.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
