The body of a stowaway who died in the wheel well of a Russian airplane lay there for at least seven flights before being discovered, calling into question the pre-flight inspection and maintenance procedures.
A report in The Aviation Herald says the body was discovered on June 10, when an i-Fly flight landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport and maintenance workers saw bloodstains on the landing gear.
The man had been dead for four days.
In April, two stowaways were found dead, including a body found on the streets outside London that apparently fell from a plane landing at Heathrow.
An FAA spokesman at the time said that 80% of stowaways are found dead.
Since the wheel wells of an airplane aren’t equipped for passengers, they lack the oxygen, heating and pressurization, causing hypothermia and hypoxia.
Those who survive the flight are likely unconscious or severely weakened when the compartment doors reopen on landing, increasing the likelihood of falling.
by Cheryl Rosen, Editor TravelMole US
