While details surrounding the incident are limited as of now, this is absolutely tragic…
In this post:
Routine JetBlue A320 inspection reveals two bodies
This incident happened late at night on Monday, January 6, 2025, at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). During a routine post-flight inspection, two bodies were found inside the landing gear of a JetBlue Airbus A320.
The aircraft in question is 18 years old, with the registration code N644JB. The plane had just completed a 2hr43min flight from New York (JFK), taking off at 8:20PM, and landing at 11:03PM.
Details about how this happened are limited as of now, though JetBlue released the following statement:
“At this time, the identities of the individuals and the circumstances surrounding how they accessed the aircraft remain under investigation. This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working closely with authorities to support their efforts to understand how this occurred.”
For what it’s worth, on Monday the aircraft flew from Kingston (KIN) to New York to Salt Lake City (SLC) and then back to New York, prior to operating the flight to Fort Lauderdale. More often than not, people who attempt to be a stowaway in the landing gear of an aircraft are flying internationally, as they’re trying to escape the country that they’re in, and feels this is the only means by which they can do so.
So one wonders if the stowaways had actually been in the gear all the way from Jamaica, and just weren’t spotted during previous inspections that day.
This is a good reminder to be grateful
Unfortunately we see attempted stowaways on aircraft with an alarming frequency, typically when people are looking to escape their country for another.
What’s awful is the level of desperation needed to engage in something like this. Per statistics, stowaways on commercial aircraft don’t survive the journey a vast majority of the time. In addition to the risk of being crushed by the gear or falling out during takeoff, there’s also the lack of oxygen and the incredibly cold temperatures, which will make people lose consciousness pretty quickly, once the plane reaches cruising altitude.
People don’t accidentally become stowaways on airplanes. Instead, these are typically people in very desperate situations. I don’t want to get political here or make this about immigration, but rather my takeaway from this is to be incredibly grateful for the life I have, and that I’ll (hopefully) never be in a situation where I’m this desperate to escape.
It’s just so terrible to think that some people are in such a bad situation that they’ll leave their family behind and risk their life in this way, in hopes of a better future. May they rest in peace.
Bottom line
Last night, two bodies were found in the landing gear of a JetBlue Airbus A320, during a routine post-flight inspection at Fort Lauderdale Airport. The aircraft had just landed in New York. A vast majority of the time, stowaways travel internationally, so it’s worth noting that the plane had arrived from Kingston earlier in the day, prior to operating a roundtrip from New York to Salt Lake City.
I’m curious what an investigation reveals into how this happened, and how they weren’t spotted earlier.
Thank you, Ben, for being a voice of gratitude.
It was so sad to see 2 bodies in the Airbus A320 landing gear.
What war torn country and awful situation do I need to feel bad for again? The plane was flying domestic and went to Jamaica. Please tell me exactly how much compassion I’m supposed to have for idiots doing what they do best.
Stay classy Sharron
You’re clearly and very warm and empathetic person Sharron.
Assuming that if they came from Jamaica, I am curious to know how it took their bodies that long to be discovered.
The bodies probably froze solid during the KIN-JFK sector and then stayed frozen while on the ground in SLC and JFK.
It wasn't until they thawed out in FLL that they probably "fell out" of where they were hidden.
if they were in the landing gear area,of an A320, it seems hard to believe they wouldn't seen. Even on normal turnaround, you'd have to almost go out of your way not to see something. I'm wondering they weren't in the avionics bay, and this is a case of lazy/misinterpreted reported?
*reporting
That wouldn't be possible, as there is no compartment door between the avionics bay and the landing gear wheel well. The wheel well is completely isolated and can only be accessed from the outside (when the landing gear is extended).
I would be very surprised if they're Jamaican residents. I would be less surprised if they came from JFK.
You mean ORD_IS_ was right when he called New York a hell-hole that everyone would do anything to escape??
I'm not so sure. I'll give JFK the benefit of the doubt and say their airfield is much more difficult to infiltrate than KIN's airfield.
First, may G-d rest their souls and I prayers for their families.
From a security perspective, what if they had some type of home made bomb?
That could have gone a very different way for the 150+ souls on the aircraft if they had...
Nobody on the ground noticed?
Well said. Compassion is never political; though a lack of it (or worse) often can be.
While still early, this is easily the most illogical thing I’ve read this year.
Play stupid games….
LMAO "Sel D" getting ratio'd
@Sel, D: How is digital_notmad's comment illogical? It's perfectly logical.
If you're a extremely poor, desperate person with little hope and you're told that if you make it to the US you will be given free food, a nice free hotel room, a free smart phone, etc. you will take very dangerous actions. What's not reported are the number of people that are killed or die along the way through jungles and desert. And the number of people, particularly children that are sold into sexual slavery upon reaching the US.
I also wonder if it was just people in New York thinking it was some sort of lifehack to get a free flight. Tiktok seems to have caused some major brain damage for a lot of people.
Regardless of the criminality of this, I hope Jet Blue will do the right thing and get their bodies home to their (likely) poor families for a proper burial.
You're assuming they had proper identification on them. So far, nobody knows who they are or where they came from, so getting them home to their families is going to be a tall order.
Nicely put, Ben.