A dead body was discovered in the landing gear of an American Airlines flight in Charlotte, North Carolina. According to a press release from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, maintenance workers discovered the stowaway on Sunday, September 28.
Videos by Suggest
Dead Stowaway Found in American Airlines Flight Landing Gear
Just shortly after 9 AM, workers were performing maintenance of an American Airlines flight that had just arrived in the 5000 block of Hangar Road in the Airport Division from Europe. Upon entering the landing gear, they found an unresponsive body.
CMPD’s Airport Division officers pronounced the unidentified stowaway dead at the scene. “Homicide Unit detectives responded to the scene to conduct an investigation,” it said. “Crime Scene Search responded to process the scene and collect physical evidence.”
Charlotte Douglas International Airport made a statement to PEOPLE about the horrific discovery. “CLT Airport is aware of the tragic discovery involving a deceased individual found in the landing gear of an American Airlines aircraft on Sunday morning,” it said.
“We are deeply saddened by this news and will support the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s (CMPD) investigation as needed. Airport operations continue as normal.”
On top of that, American Airlines told PEOPLE in a statement how it’s handling the situation. “We are working with law enforcement on its investigation,” said the airline company.
ABC News spoke with an aviation expert who explained how dangerous stowing away on a commercial plane is. “A human body exposed for many hours to temperatures as low as minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit courts extensive frostbite and loss of limbs,” said aviation analyst John Nance.
Nance detailed how stowing away on a plane will almost guarantee an end with death. “Even if the utter lack of oxygen at 35,000 feet or more doesn’t result in brain death,” he said.
Although Nance had heard of rare cases of survival, they were fleeting and almost unheard of. The risks of stowing away are much more dangerous than most passengers know.
How the stowaway got inside the aircraft and when it happened is still unknown. More information will likely come to light as the investigation continues.