Stowaway’s Body Falls Out Of Plane Into London Suburb

The body of a man, who attempted to stowaway in the landing gear of a plane, came crashing down into the middle of a London suburb on Sunday.

Newser reports that the stowaway probably got on board the plane in North Africa and died during the trip to Heathrow Airport. He either died from being crushed by the landing gear or froze to death from the Arctic temperatures.

The body fell out when the pilot lowered the plane’s landing ahead of landing.

According to The Telegraph, experts say that such incidents were rare, but it was impossible for a stowaway to survive a long-haul and that bodies have been known to fall out when the landing gears come down before landing.

The people who witnessed the incident explain what they saw.

Annie Williams, 47, a resident of the London suburb, said:

“I heard a monstrous bang. I thought someone had been hit by a car. There were two fellows going to church and they said there’s a dead body in the street.”

Residents also commented on body parts being strewn over a 30-yard area.

Billy Watson, 26, who lives in Portman Avenue, Mortlake, south-west London said: “I saw the body all twisted up outside.

“I heard someone outside and looked out of the window at about half past eight and the first thing I saw was this body across the road. Bits of his body were everywhere, and the police were putting their cones by them.”

Richard Taylor, from the Civil Aviation Authority says that chances of a stowaway surviving a long-haul flight inside the landing gear are nearly 0.

“I don’t know of anyone who has survived being stowed away on a long-haul flight and it is surprising that so many people still try. When the landing gear comes down at the other end, a couple of miles from the runway and about 2,000ft in the air, if there is a person who had died they would fall out.”