Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport witnessed a grim discovery on Monday night when two human bodies were found in the landing gear compartment of a JetBlue aircraft.
The shocking revelation came during a routine post-flight maintenance check following the arrival of JetBlue Flight 1801, the airline confirmed in a statement on Tuesday.
The flight, which departed John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York at 7:49 p.m., landed in Fort Lauderdale at 11:10 p.m., according to flight tracking data. Paramedics pronounced the two individuals dead at the scene, as reported by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. Details regarding how and when the individuals entered the landing gear compartment remained unclear.
JetBlue expressed its sorrow over the incident. “This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working closely with authorities to support their efforts to understand how this occurred,” the airline said in its statement.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, responsible for managing JFK Airport, was yet to respond to questions regarding security lapses that may have allowed access to the aircraft.
Landing gear compartments, located under an aircraft’s wings or at the nose, have historically been used by individuals attempting to stow away on flights. However, such attempts often result in tragedy due to the perilous conditions within the compartments. These areas expose stowaways to extreme temperatures, oxygen deprivation, and immense pressure changes during flights.
The risks are severe: stowaways can be crushed by retracting landing gear or fall to their deaths if the compartment doors open mid-flight. Hypothermia is a common cause of death for those who endure the extreme cold at high altitudes.
Similar incidents have occurred in recent months. 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 was underway to identify the two individuals found on the JetBlue flight and uncover how they accessed the aircraft in New York.