Two bodies were found in the landing gear compartment of a JetBlue Airways plane upon landing in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport in Florida. The shocking discovery was made on Monday during a routine inspection. An investigation has been launched into how this could have occurred.
What happened?
The flight 1801 had arrived in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood at 11:10, coming from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. The two bodies were found in the landing gear during a routine inspection after the flight. Jetblue Airways has released a statement claiming that
“At this time, the identities of the individuals and the circumstances surrounding how they accessed the aircraft remain under investigation,”
Paramedics declare both people dead at the scene. The only information available at the monet on the identity of the victims is that they both appear to be male. The individuals were in the wheel well, a compartment underneath the plane that stores the retractable landing gear. It is a space known for being hazardous due to extreme cold, low oxygen levels, and mechanical risks.
The incident remains under investigation, led by The Broward County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from federal aviation authorities. JetBlue commented on the situation
“This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working closely with authorities to support their efforts to understand how this occurred,”
Is this situation common?
This unfortunate situation calls into question the security within the US aviation system. This incident is the latest, however there have been others similar in recent times. Just last month, a body was discovered in the wheel of a United airlines plane after landing in Maui. Similar to this incident, it is unclear how the person entered the wheel well. There have been situations where stowaways have survived the flight. Such as in 2014 where a 15-year-old boy was able to stow away in a plane’s wheel well and survive a 5 hour flight to Maui.
It is extremely dangerous to try and stowaway in the plane’s wheel barrow for multiple reasons. Temperatures in the wheel well can drop to as low as -60°C (-76°F) during high-altitude flights, causing hypothermia. Oxygen levels also decrease significantly which can cause a person to suffocate. In 2011, the FAA released a report, recording 89 attempted stowaways on 79 flights, with only 18 survivors.
What do you think of people using aircraft wheel wells to stowaway?
