Maintenance crews discovered the dead bodies of two stowaways inside the wheel well of a JetBlue Airways aircraft at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport late Monday night.
Flight 1801 departed from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, landing at Fort Lauderdale at 11:10 p.m. The bodies were uncovered during a routine post-flight inspection, prompting an immediate response from the Broward County Sheriff's Office and medical examiners, Aviation A2Z reported.
This incident adds to a growing number of wheel well fatalities, including the discovery of a deceased stowaway when a United Airlines flight touched down in Maui on Christmas Eve, and another on Dec. 5th on a TUI Airways flight from Gambia to London.
Jet Blue launched an immediate investigation into how the two individuals—who have yet to be identified—gained access to the wheel well.
"This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working closely with authorities to support their efforts to understand how this occurred," the airline said in a statement.
Wheel well stowaways have a mortality rate exceeding 77%, as passengers face lethal conditions including oxygen deprivation and temperatures as low as -80°F at cruising altitude, according to The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Despite the tragedy, airport operations at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International remain unaffected, according to a spokesperson from the Broward County Aviation Department.
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