Two deceased men were discovered in the landing gear compartment of a JetBlue plane at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after arriving from New York City’s JFK Airport on Monday. Authorities, including Broward County deputies and a medical examiner, are investigating the incident.
JetBlue confirmed the discovery occurred during a routine post-flight maintenance inspection and expressed commitment to cooperating with authorities. The identities of the victims remain unknown, and investigators are working to determine how they accessed the compartment.
Stowing away in plane landing gear is a high-risk practice due to freezing temperatures, lack of oxygen, and the risk of being crushed. While fatalities are common, rare survival cases have been recorded in Paris, Amsterdam, and Miami in recent years.