Jan. 7 (UPI) — Broward County authorities said that two people were found in the aircraft landing gear compartment of a JetBlue passenger airplane that landed at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Monday night.
JetBlue crews found the bodies during a routine inspection after the plane, which departed from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, landed in Florida.
The identities of the dead remain under investigation.
The bodies were described as being “badly decomposed” when found by a gate technician Monday night. A Broward County Sheriff spokesperson did not confirm the gender but a radio communication of the incident said they were both males.
“This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working closely with authorities to support their efforts to understand how this occurred,” JetBlue corporate communications said, according to WFLA-TV.
The Broward County detectives are investigating when the victims gained access to the plane and how they managed to enter what are normally secured areas to reach the landing gear. The local medical examiner will perform autopsies to determine the cause of death.
Monday’s incident comes two weeks after officials found a body in the wheel bay of a United Airlines flight traveling from Chicago to Hawaii.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a 2011 report that 80% of people who attempt to stow away in the landing gear or another external compartment die. They often don’t realize the lack of oxygen or the freezing temperatures they would encounter once the plane reaches its cruising altitude of about 38,000 feet.