Stowaway found dead in BA landing gear bay at Heathrow

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15 years 9 months

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Stowaway found dead in BA landing gear bay at Heathrow
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/9495580/Stowaway-found-dead-in-BA-landing-gear-bay-at-Heathrow.html

"..... The body of the man was discovered in the landing gear bay of the Boeing 747 after a 6,000-mile (9,656km) flight from Cape Town, BA said.

Police said the man was not a passenger or a member of the crew on the flight from South Africa's second busiest airport.

Authorities in South Africa said a man was spotted jumping a fence at the transport hub before running towards a BA flight as it waited to take off last night.

Security staff gave chase but backed off for safety reasons and a subsequent search of the airport failed to find the man. A spokeswoman said: "Last night at approximately 8.40pm a person was detected scaling the perimeter fence at Cape Town International Airport (CTIA).

"The airport immediately responded and, as a security patrol officer attempted to apprehend the man, he ran in the direction of a British Airways aircraft already in its holding pattern ready for take-off.

"For safety reasons the security officer could not approach the aircraft. ....."

Sad when it happens and it isn't the first nor is likely to be last.

Original post

Member for

11 years 8 months

Posts: 569

Perhaps he was an illegal immigrant?

...Well, whoever he was he was bloody stupid - bet he was nice and warm in the landing gear bay of a 747 at FL390 with nothing but shorts and a t-shirt? :D

If they had some industrial heaters, then who knows, they might have been able to de-frost him again afterwards? :)

Jokes aside, what's South African security doing? If he jumped a fence and climbed into a 747, I'm guessing he hadn't been security vetted? He could have had 20kgs of plastic explosive attached to him for all they knew?

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14 years 1 month

Posts: 2,163

Perhaps he was an illegal immigrant?

...Well, whoever he was he was bloody stupid - bet he was cold in the landing gear bay of a 747 at FL390 with nothing but shorts and a t-shirt? :D

It'll be gettin on for minus 60 degC.

D'oh.

Member for

18 years 7 months

Posts: 114

Tragic story. Unfortunately, people reach levels of desperation that hinders their judgement and obviously this man was probably so desperate to leave his life and was willing to risk his life, ending in what must have been such an awful death. Others might joke, but I don't think there is anything funny about this story.

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19 years 5 months

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I've read of similar cases of people trying to get into various countries, it seems to haven a few times a year.

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16 years

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A very sad story. I cannot begin to understand the desparation of some of these poor people.

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19 years 9 months

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I cant understand why the SA authorities allowed the man to get to the aircraft in the first place secondly why they let an aircraft continue its flight knowing that a man had climbed into the landing gear, it beggars belief

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 6,968

They only saw him approach the aircraft, not climb into the landing gear. I presume it was dark at the time. I too find nothing funny in that someone should be so desperate as to try and stow away in the landing gear of an aircraft. Terrible for the man himself, terrible for his family and no less terrible for the poor bu**er on the ground at LHR who actually found him.

Regards,

kev35

Member for

19 years 9 months

Posts: 1,105

They only saw him approach the aircraft, not climb into the landing gear. I presume it was dark at the time. I too find nothing funny in that someone should be so desperate as to try and stow away in the landing gear of an aircraft. Terrible for the man himself, terrible for his family and no less terrible for the poor bu**er on the ground at LHR who actually found him.

Regards,

kev35

The Person was seen climbing a fence and running towards aircraft about to take off, this should of at least warranted a call from the tower to stop the aircraft from even moving.
I certainly don't find it funny in any case

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15 years 11 months

Posts: 76

well said, and like many others who would have read one of the earlier posts with dismay, I also feel there's nothing funny about this tragedy.

Regards.....Paul

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12 years 11 months

Posts: 390

I guess with these big modern jetliners there is space in the gear wells of the mains. I recall this happening back in the 1970s when someone jumped a 707 and fell out of the wheel bay when the gear was lowered for landing - dead naturally (thank god) as the stowaway didn't take into consideration -60 degree temps and no air.

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14 years 7 months

Posts: 308

if the body had fallen out like in the 70s and landed on someone or thing in Staines of west London
i think the story would jave been bigger in the news and more action taken
but as he remained on the plane during the landing phase it was not a big story

I cant understand why the SA authorities allowed the man to get to the aircraft in the first place secondly why they let an aircraft continue its flight knowing that a man had climbed into the landing gear, it beggars belief

Boggles the mind. Why didn't the security vehicle immediately report to the tower? Why was the guy so desperate to leave the country? :confused: Perhaps had a mental condition but we will never know.

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14 years 6 months

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I seem to recall a body being found in Hounslow (possibly Fullwell) not so long ago. Fell from an aircraft.
Are there any recorded incidents of people surviving?

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19 years 5 months

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I seem to recall someone survived from a brief flight years ago.
Can't recall sopecifics.

Member for

11 years 8 months

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Could they not put signs up on airport perimeter boundaries stating the dangers of climbing on-board aircraft?

On a security note, couldn't an al-Qaeda terrorist jump on a plane in much the same way and blow it up?

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16 years

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That's what I was thinking. They'd have plenty of time to attach a bomb before they died.

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14 years

Posts: 949

A sign at the perimeter on an airport is not going to stop someone who is so desperate to seek a new life somewhere better. That is not an aviation problem.

It is this paranoid thinking that has made aviation a lot more stressful - for passengers and people that have transit security multiple times a day, for - I feel - very little gain.

Member for

15 years 9 months

Posts: 1,684

Could they not put signs up on airport perimeter boundaries stating the dangers of climbing on-board aircraft?

On a security note, couldn't an al-Qaeda terrorist jump on a plane in much the same way and blow it up?

Threespool also states facts - namely that a sign will not stop a desperate person whether terrorist or fleeing from goodness knows what....

Sadly the terror threat alone should make EU and US airlines demand some reassurance from all international airports that aircraft cannot be boarded while holding on taxiways etc