The bodies of two individuals were found in the landing gear compartment of a JetBlue Airways Airbus A320 on Tuesday. The circumstances of their death are not yet known.
A macabre discovery. Early Tuesday night, JetBlue Airways flight 1801, operated by an Airbus A320, arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from New York. Despite a few minutes delay, the flight went smoothly.
But during a routine inspection shortly after the flight, mechanics discovered two dead bodies inside the landing gear compartment. Immediately, local sheriff’s deputies and a medical examiner went to the airport.
“The circumstances surrounding how these two individuals gained access to the aircraft are still under investigation,” the airline told US media CBS News. “This is a heartbreaking situation and we are committed to working closely with authorities to support their efforts to understand how this happened.”
The circumstances of this tragedy remain to be established, but it is not uncommon for people to seek access to the landing gear compartment, despite security checks at airports and the risks to their lives.
This part is not pressurized and when the planes reach their cruising altitude (between 9,000 and 10,000 meters), the temperature there is between -50°C and -60°C, with an extremely low oxygen concentration.
