A ground engineer found the man’s body while carrying out checks on the aircraft in June
Credit: Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- An unidentified man was found dead in a plane’s wheel compartment on Tuesday, June 16
- A ground engineer was carrying out checks on the aircraft when he noticed a packing strap hanging out of the wheel compartment and discovered the body
- A post-mortem examination later revealed that the man’s cause of death was cardiac arrest, hypoxia and hypothermia
A man found in a plane’s wheel compartment died after being exposed to extreme cold and a lack of oxygen, according to a coroner.
On Tuesday, June 16, the body of an unidentified man was found in the landing gear of a plane after an Air Arabia flight from Tangier, Morocco, landed at Gatwick Airport in West Sussex, according to the BBC, The Argus and The Standard.
“London Gatwick’s emergency services attended an Air Arabia aircraft just after 11.30 BST on 16 June when an incident was identified upon arrival,” a spokesperson for the West Sussex airport said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
“As Sussex Police have confirmed, a body was found,” they continued. “Our teams subsequently supported Sussex Police and the coroner. Our thoughts are with everyone affected.”
Over two months later, officials held an inquest at Horsham Coroner’s Court regarding the man’s death.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene after his body was found by a ground engineer who was carrying out checks on the aircraft, the BBC reported. A post-mortem examination, presented at the inquest, revealed the man’s cause of death was cardiac arrest, hypoxia (a lack of oxygen) and hypothermia.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The Argus reported that officials revealed at the inquest that ground staff only found the man after noticing a packing strap hanging out of the wheel compartment.
A coroner, who said he had reason to believe the man’s death was “unnatural,” later told the court that conditions in the aircraft’s wheel compartment were likely extremely cold with low oxygen levels, according to The Standard.
Additional details were not shared, but the inquest will resume in February.
Sussex Police, Air Arabia and the West Sussex Coroners Service did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Read the full article here
