A stowaway has been found dead inside an American Airlines plane’s landing gear compartment at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The individual, whose identity and origin are unknown, was discovered Sunday morning by police. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), over 77% of stowaways who have attempted to hide on aircraft have died. This incident is the latest in a series of stowaway discoveries, raising concerns about airline security.
In recent years, several cases of stowaways hiding in planes’ wheel wells have resulted in deaths. For example, last month, a 13-year-old boy from Afghanistan was found alive after being hidden in a plane’s landing gear during a flight from Kabul to Delhi. However, the incident highlights the dangers of attempting to hide on an aircraft.
The airport and airline are cooperating with law enforcement, but operations have continued as normal. The FAA has warned about the risks of stowaways trying to hide on planes, citing the high number of fatalities among those who attempt it. As authorities investigate this latest incident, safety remains a top concern in the aviation industry.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/29/us/stowaway-death-american-airlines-hnk