Maintenance crews found a pair of stowaways inside the landing gear of a JetBlue airliner on Tuesday. Authorities have been rather tight-lipped about who they were and what they were doing. However, an expert has offered a potential explanation for the deaths.
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An aviation expert offers some insight into what likely killed both individuals on the flight from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to the Miami Herald, Gary Sheradsky, a flight instructor and airline-certified pilot with over 30 years in the industry, believes the stowaways froze to death.
Sheradsky explains that the wheel well of a plane isn't pressurized or heated like the cabin. The air is much colder at a high altitude than it is on the ground, and the aircraft was likely higher than 30,000 feet. The flight instructor said, "How cold it is outside the plane is how cold it is in the wheel well. It was definitely below zero."
Sheradsky also mentions that the difference in the air at that high altitude may have contributed to the deaths: "Without being in a pressurized cabin, you're not going to get enough oxygen to survive." The Miami Herald also theorizes that the temperature around the landing gear at 30,000 feet was as low as minus 88 degrees.
"You lose all sense of reality. It's probably an unbelievable way to die," he added.
Authorities Have Revealed Little Information About The Stowaways
We reported yesterday that authorities have not revealed any details about the two individuals. Officials have confirmed they were both men, but no further information has been given. Both bodies were found during a routine aircraft inspection, which takes place before and after every flight. In this case, maintenance crews found the bodies shortly after the JetBlue craft touched down at Fort Lauderdale.
According to the Daily Mail, Carey Codd, a spokesperson for the Broward Sheriff's Office, confirmed that both victims were declared dead at the scene. Codd also explained to the news outlet that there is an ongoing investigation. An autopsy is also "set to be performed."
A spokesperson for JetBlue said, "This is a heartbreaking situation. We are committed to working closely with authorities to support their efforts to understand how this occurred."
