Two Bodies Discovered in JetBlue Plane’s Landing Gear at Fort Lauderdale Airport
A chilling discovery unfolded at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Monday night when two human bodies were found in the landing gear compartment of a JetBlue plane.
The bodies were discovered during a routine post-flight inspection after the arrival of JetBlue Flight 1801, which landed from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York. The airline confirmed the discovery in a statement on Tuesday.
The flight, which had departed JFK at 7:49 p.m., landed in Fort Lauderdale at 11:10 p.m., according to flight tracking data. Paramedics pronounced the individuals dead at the scene, as reported by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. It is unclear how or when the individuals gained access to the landing gear compartment.
JetBlue expressed its sorrow over the incident, stating, “This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working closely with authorities to understand how this occurred.”
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees JFK Airport, had yet to comment on whether security lapses might have allowed unauthorized access to the aircraft.
Historically, landing gear compartments have been used by individuals attempting to stow away on flights. However, these attempts often lead to tragic consequences due to the extreme conditions within these compartments. Stowaways face freezing temperatures, lack of oxygen, and significant pressure changes during flights.
The risks are dire: stowaways can be crushed by retracting landing gear or fall to their deaths if the compartment doors open mid-flight. Hypothermia is another common cause of death for those exposed to the extreme cold at high altitudes.
Such incidents have occurred before. On Christmas Day, a body was found in the wheel well of a United Airlines flight traveling from Chicago to Hawaii. In another case in 2023, a man survived a flight from Algeria to France despite suffering severe hypothermia.
An investigation is ongoing to identify the two individuals found on the JetBlue flight and determine how they managed to access the aircraft in New York.
