GRIM DISCOVERY

Stowaway Found Dead in Plane Wheel Compartment

The coroner said the wheel compartment would have been extremely cold, with little available oxygen.

A dangling packing strap on an Air Arabia plane led a London airport worker to a grim discovery: the body of a stowaway hidden in the aircraft’s landing gear compartment. The man, whose identity was not released, was found unresponsive following a flight from Tangier, Morocco, in June. Emergency services were called, and the man’s cause of death was determined to be cardiac arrest, followed by hypoxia and hypothermia. The coroner said the wheel compartment would have been extremely cold, with little available oxygen, and he had “reason to believe this death was unnatural.” London Gatwick released the following statement following the death: “London Gatwick’s emergency services attended an Air Arabia aircraft just after 11:30am on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, when an incident was identified upon arrival. As Sussex Police have confirmed, a body was found. Our teams subsequently supported Sussex Police and the coroner. Our thoughts are with everyone affected.”