Authorities in Fort Lauderdale are investigating a tragic discovery made aboard a JetBlue Airways plane. Broward County Sheriff’s deputies and medical examiners responded to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport late Monday night after two bodies were found in the aircraft’s landing gear compartment during a routine inspection.
JetBlue confirmed the grim findings in a statement, saying, “The circumstances surrounding how they accessed the aircraft remain under investigation. This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are fully cooperating with authorities to determine how this happened.”
The plane, an Airbus A320, had operated as Flight 1801 from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and landed in Fort Lauderdale shortly after 11 p.m. Monday. Prior to its journey to Florida, the aircraft had completed multiple flights, including routes from Kingston, Jamaica, and Salt Lake City, Utah.
The identities of the deceased individuals, both male, have not been confirmed. However, reports from the Jamaica Observer suggest the men may be Jamaican nationals. Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives and the county’s Medical Examiner’s Office are working to establish their identities and determine the cause of death through autopsies.
Experts highlight the extreme dangers of stowing away in an aircraft’s wheel well. At an altitude of 38,000 feet, the area is unpressurized and unheated, with temperatures dropping well below freezing. Stowaways in such conditions rarely survive the journey.
The discovery has raised serious concerns about airport security. JetBlue passenger Steve Daoust commented, “It’s clearly a security breach. This should never happen, especially considering the rigorous protocols in place.”
Routine pre-flight inspections, including checks of the wheel wells, are standard for pilots. However, CBS News transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave noted that in some cases, individuals hiding in these compartments may not be immediately visible.
This tragedy echoes a recent incident in Hawaii over the holidays, where a body was discovered in the wheel well of a United Airlines plane upon landing in Maui after a flight from Chicago. These occurrences underline the need for heightened vigilance in airport security to prevent such breaches.
JetBlue, headquartered in Long Island City, New York, operates flights across the U.S. and internationally. The airline has pledged full cooperation with authorities to uncover how this breach occurred and ensure measures are taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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