decomposed stowaways in landing gear compartment.

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SEI234693272.jpg© AFP via Getty Images

The bodies of the stowaways who rode to Florida in a JetBlue airplane's landing gear compartment were reportedly decomposed when they were found by airport staff, according to a report.

The remains of the men were found on Monday inside the compartment after a JetBlue plane landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. An airline worker was inspecting the landing gear when they stumbled onto the deceased stowaways.

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“A gate technician in the landing gear area noticed two males who appear to be Signal 7, advised they are not moving in the landing gear area,” an unidentified individual said over a police radio during the incident. "Signal 7" is a police radio code used to describe a dead body.

The flight departed Jamaica earlier in the day, leading to some speculation that the men who died are Jamaican, though there has been no official identification.

An anonymous law enforcement source told CNN that the bodies were badly decomposed when they were found, which, if true, likely indicates that the stowaways were onboard the aircraft for multiple flights.

If they climbed into the landing gear compartment in Jamaica, they likley did not survive the plane's first stop. The A320 departed from Kingston just after 1 a.m., where it flew to JFK International Airport in New York. It was below 30 degrees the day the men were discovered, and would have been much, much colder at higher altitudes

[Red]

I don't know if there is any nice way to pop your cloggs but if there is it isnt this way.

Poor fuckers must have been desperate

[facthunter]

They usually fall out frozen solid when the gear is extended. . IF they remained there. Don't Pilots do walk arounds these days?  You'd die of asphyxia by cruise level also. Nev

[FlyBoy1960]

there is a report somewhere online that particular aircraft model when the wheels are down a lot of the panels close to reduce significant drag during takeoff and landing.

 

Apparently, unless you specifically go looking you cannot see into these locations when doing a walk around and kicking tyres. You need to get up into the wheel bay with a torch.

 

I'm guessing after the FAA/NTSB have finished there will be one more item on the checklist in the future.

[facthunter]

That may be so but surely that would make getting in there extremely difficult also in the first place.. It also makes the retract process much more complex and slower and draggier.   Nev

[FlyBoy1960]

I'm not the aeroplane designer so I don't know why they have put covers in place when the gear is extended.

 

I don't believe it is an airtight seal, there is still quite a gap around the leg that could enable someone skinny to slide in or perhaps the covers can be manually pulled down when you are on the ground ?

[facthunter]

It's done with sequencing valves. Any foul up and things get mangled.  Undercarriage Locks get put in on the  ground to prevent unintentional retracts. There's extensive Bracing of main gear legs and they usually extend outwards from the fuselage , Things have to be fail safe. A bit of gear door can be considered sacrificial. ,on the landing roll but must not happen when retracting.   Nev