Two lifeless our bodies discovered inside touchdown gear of JetBlue airplane as investigation launched
The bodies of two individuals were found inside the compartment of a JetBlue flight that had departed JFK Airport in New York before arriving at its final destination in Florida on Monday night
The grim discovery of two bodies in the landing gear of a JetBlue airliner has sparked a major investigation after the plane touched down in Florida. The deceased were found inside the wheel well of the flight that jetted off from JFK Airport in New York, landing in the Sunshine State on Monday evening.
A JetBlue spokesperson shared with The Mirror: “On Monday evening, January 6, at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLHIA), two individuals were found in the landing gear compartment of one of our aircraft during the routine post-flight maintenance inspection. Tragically, both individuals were deceased.”
They added: “At this time, the identities of the individuals and the circumstances surrounding how they accessed the aircraft remain under investigation. This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working closely with authorities to support their efforts to understand how this occurred.”
Further details from FLHIA and local law enforcement are being sought out. FlightAware.com reports that the flight left JFK just shy of 8pm and arrived 28 minutes behind schedule at 11:10pm local time. Fox35 was informed by JetBlue that the aircraft had last been used for flight 1801, reports the Mirror.
Alex Browning, a journalist for Florida’s WSVN7 News, posted a picture of a Broward County Sheriff van stationed outside the airport. It was also reported that medical examiners were spotted at the scene following the discovery of the bodies.
Despite the incident, FLHIA has not announced any significant delays or disruptions. While the full details surrounding the deaths remain unclear, there have been several instances where bodies have been found in the landing gear compartments of aircrafts.
In 2021, a man’s body was found in the landing gear section of a plane that landed in Amsterdam, Netherlands, having departed from Nigeria. In September 2023, the body of an African man, aged between 30 and 40, was discovered in the landing gear of a plane that touched down in Istanbul, Turkey.
FLHIA is one of the busiest airports in the country, serving approximately 35.1 million passengers in 2023, as per the Broward County website. This marked an increase of roughly 10.8% compared to the previous year.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
