Two deceased individuals were discovered in the landing gear compartment of a JetBlue
plane that landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
on Monday night. The bodies, found during a routine post-flight inspection, were severely decomposed, according to CNN.
This suggests that the individuals may have been stowed away for multiple flights, an anonymous law enforcement source told CNN. The discovery has prompted an investigation into how the men managed to access the aircraft and whether any security lapses occurred along the journey.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Decomposed remains discovered during routine inspection
JetBlue Flight B61801 took off from New York John F. Kennedy International Airport
(JFK) on Monday evening at 19:49, FlightAware data shows. After the plane landed in Fort Lauderdale around 23:10 local time, a ground technician noticed the bodies while inspecting the plane’s landing gear. The airline confirmed that the individuals were not employees of JetBlue.
“The individuals who (are) deceased are both males. Beyond that, their identities at this time are unknown,” Carey Codd, spokesperson for the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, told CNN.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
According to the New York Times, JetBlue stated that an investigation was in progress on Tuesday to ascertain the identity of the two people found in Fort Lauderdale and how they may have gained access to the aircraft prior to its departure from New York.
“The circumstances surrounding how they accessed the aircraft remain under investigation,” JetBlue said. “This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working closely with authorities to support their efforts to understand how this occurred.“
Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying
Two individuals not Jamaican
While the investigation is ongoing, it is likely that surveillance footage from the various airports the plane visited will be reviewed to track the movement of the stowaways. According to Flightradar24 data, the Airbus A320
aircraft, registered as N644JB, made two round-trip flights between New York and Salt Lake City after departing Kingston, Jamaica, for New York City earlier on Monday. The plane went to Fort Lauderdale after returning from Utah.
The incident has sparked speculation regarding their possible nationality, particularly in Jamaica, due to the plane’s recent stop in the Caribbean nation. Kamina Smith, Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, addressed the rumors on the social media platform X on Thursday with an update.
“Regarding the 2 deceased stowaways recently discovered in the wheel well of an aircraft in Fort Lauderdale. Further information received, now indicates that the individuals are not Jamaican,” Smith said in a post. In previous posts, she assured the public that the Jamaican government is in contact with relevant authorities and will provide updates as more details emerge.
Investigations launched
As the investigation continues, the Associated Press reported that the Transportation Security Administration
( TSA
), in collaboration with the airline, local law enforcement, and the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA), is working to determine how the stowaways accessed the plane’s wheel well.
Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying
However, a spokesperson from the National Transportation Safety Board ( NTSB
) stated on Tuesday that the flight crew was not involved in the incident and that the NTSB would not be investigating, as the case did not involve the plane’s operation. The incident has raised significant concerns about aviation security, highlighting the alarming vulnerability of commercial airliners to unauthorized access, particularly in sensitive areas such as the landing gear compartment.
Wheel well stowaways
The remains were allegedly in advanced decomposition, indicating that they had been in the wheel well for a long time. Although the cause of their deaths is still being investigated, one of the possible reasons is due to the harsh conditions of the wheel well.
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The airline said that it is working with law enforcement authorities on the investigation.
The landing gear compartment experiences extreme pressure swings and frigid temperatures, frequently as low as -40°F, at high altitudes. In addition to these natural concerns, Stowaway
is also at risk of being crushed by the retractable landing gear. Because of these conditions, survival is quite uncommon.
