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The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) has launched a homicide investigation following the discovery of a deceased stowaway in the landing gear of an American Airlines aircraft at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). The body was found this morning (shortly before 9:00 AM) when American Airlines mechanics were performing routine maintenance inside one of the airline’s hangars.
CMPD homicide detectives were immediately called to the scene after the grim discovery was made. The individual was pronounced dead at the site and investigators are now working to determine how and when they entered the aircraft. Physical evidence is being collected as part of the investigation. The aircraft involved has been identified as a 24-year-old Boeing 777-200ER. According to flight tracking data, the plane arrived at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) at 1:39 PM on Friday. This means that the plane had been parked at the airport for nearly two days before the body was found.
Before operating the Frankfurt flight, the same aircraft had been used for a trip to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD). Prior to that, on September 22nd, the aircraft was ferried from San Salvador’s El Salvador International Airport Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (SAL) to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) after undergoing maintenance at Aeroman, a major maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility located in El Salvador. The plane spent roughly six weeks in San Salvador before returning to US service.
The origin of the stowaway remains unclear. While Madrid and Frankfurt are not typical places for such incidents, the earlier maintenance period in El Salvador adds another layer of complexity to the investigation.
The case is being treated as a homicide investigation until further evidence determines otherwise. Authorities are now working to identify the deceased individual and trace their movements leading up to the incident. American Airlines has stated that it is cooperating fully with law enforcement and airport officials.
The discovery has raised questions about airport security and how the stowaway was able to access the aircraft’s landing gear undetected. CMPD has not released any additional details, including the gender or age of the deceased. This tragic case highlights the extreme dangers of attempting to stow away on a commercial aircraft. Landing gear compartments are not pressurized and experience extreme cold and lack of oxygen at cruising altitudes.
Anthony’s Take: It’s sad, but this happens more often than you might think. What a tragic way to die while trying to escape from your old life.
(H/T: One Mile at a Time.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
