The body of a man has been discovered inside the landing gear of a commercial aircraft, with ground crews making the grim find shortly after the flight touched down at a London airport.
The shocking discovery was made in the undercarriage of an Air Arabia flight that arrived at London's Gatwick Airport from Tangier, Morocco, at approximately 11:45 a.m. local time on Tuesday, according to the BBC.
Police have launched an investigation into the incident, and an airport spokesperson confirmed they are supporting both the police and the coroner with their inquiries.
Airline Statement
An Air Arabia spokesperson told The Sun that "an incident was identified upon the arrival of Air Arabia Maroc Flight 3O102 from Tangier to London Gatwick on 16 June 2026, and the relevant authorities were immediately notified."
"Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this incident. We remain in close coordination with the relevant authorities with regards to the investigation," the spokesperson added.
Similar Incidents in London
This is not the first such incident in London, with several other reported deaths of stowaways in recent years. In December 2022, a man died in a similar incident at Gatwick Airport when he was discovered in the undercarriage of a Tui flight from Gambia.
In 2019, a man fell from a Kenya Airways plane's landing gear as it approached Heathrow Airport. His body was found several kilometres away in a home garden.
Another man also fell to his death in 2015 after travelling in the undercarriage of a plane from Johannesburg. His body was found in the car park of a shop in South West London. It was reported at the time that a South African man on the same flight miraculously survived the 11-hour flight by clinging to the landing gear of the plane.
