A stowaway was found dead in an international flight’s landing gear compartment in North Carolina, local authorities and American Airlines said Sunday.
“Detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Homicide Unit are conducting a death investigation in the 5000 block of Hangar Road in the Airport Division,” the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said in a press release.
The police said as an American Airlines plane which “had recently arrived from Europe” was going through maintenance Sunday morning, “a stowaway was located in the landing gear” and found to be dead.
“Homicide Unit detectives responded to the scene to conduct an investigation, and Crime Scene Search responded to process the scene and collect physical evidence,” the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said in their release.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport said in a statement obtained by The Hill’s sister network NewsNation that it “is aware of the tragic discovery involving a deceased individual found in the landing gear of an American Airlines aircraft on Sunday morning.”
“We are deeply saddened by this news and will support the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s (CMPD) investigation as needed,” the airport added.
American Airlines also said that it was “working with law enforcement on its investigation,” according to a statement obtained by NewsNation. The airline also said that a dead person “was discovered inside one of the main landing gear compartments of one of our aircraft.”
