Stowaway found dead in landing gear of American Airlines plane in Charlotte

A stowaway was found dead in the landing gear compartment of an American Airlines aircraft at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on the morning of September 28, authorities said.

The flight had recently arrived from Europe when maintenance crews discovered the body shortly after 9 a.m. local time. Responding officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department pronounced the individual deceased at the scene, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“We are working with law enforcement on its investigation,” an American Airlines spokesperson told CBS News. An airport representative confirmed awareness of the incident, adding, “We are deeply saddened by this news and will support CMPD's investigation as needed.”

Homicide detectives are currently on site, and the investigation is ongoing.

This marks at least the second instance this year of stowaways being found in aircraft landing gear at U.S. airports. In January, two deceased stowaways were discovered in the landing gear compartment of a JetBlue plane at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

By Vugar Khalilov