A man was found dead in the undercarriage of a plane at Gatwick Airport, Sussex, earlier this month, police have confirmed. The aircraft had arrived from Gambia when the discovery was made on December 7, reported New York Post (NYP).
Sussex Police said the grisly discovery came when the TUI Airlines plane, which took off from the West African country of Gambia, landed at Gatwick International Airport. The man's body was found to have been stowed away in the undercarriage of a plane.
In a statement, Sussex Police said, "Police were called after the body of a man was found in the undercarriage of an aircraft at Gatwick Airport, arriving from Gambia, at about 4 am on December 7. Officers are investigating and a report will be prepared for HM Coroner."
Police are investigating the mysterious incident, and a report is being prepared for the coroner.
The deceased carried no information or documents that shared his identity, the NYP reported, adding that officials also haven't confirmed his identity.
While it may be tempting to hitch a ride and attempt to snag a free flight, hiding out in the landing gear of an aircraft very often leads to death by exposure. Not only that, flights spend hours at freezing 38,000 feet altitude where oxygen is scarce.
Though uncommon, it's not the first time a sneaky passenger has been found on planes or ships arriving in Europe.
In 2015, Dutch authorities discovered a body in a plane's landing gear from Africa at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.
Last year, a stowaway hid inside the wheel of an American Airlines flight from Guatemala to Miami for three hours -- and survived, reported NYP.
( With inputs from ANI )
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