Two bodies were discovered in the wheel well of a JetBlue aircraft at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Monday night, January 6, 2025.
The aircraft, an Airbus A320-200, had arrived in Fort Lauderdale as flight B61801 from New York John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The bodies were found during a routine post-flight maintenance inspection. An investigation is now underway to determine just how the individuals accessed the aircraft.
JetBlue Flight B61801 Fort Lauderdale
JetBlue released a following the discovery. “The bodies were found in an aircraft’s landing gear compartment at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport during a routine inspection after the plane had landed. 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,” the airline added.
The identities of the deceased individuals have not been released, and the investigation is ongoing. According to the Associated Press, both individuals were declared dead at the scene by attending paramedics.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office told AP that both the deceased were believed to be men. The agency’s homicide and crime scene units are now investigating.
Flight Details
Flight data shows that the Airbus A320-200, registered N644JB had departed from New York John F. Kennedy International Airport at 1949 local time on 6 January.
The flight had then continued normally, arriving in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport at 2310 local time.
The aircraft had also operated in Salt Lake City, UT and Kingston, Jamaica prior to operating flight B61801 from New York.
This tragic incident follows another recent stowaway incident where a body was found in the wheel well of a United Airlines plane that landed in Hawaii on Christmas Eve.
The incidents have raised further questions with respect to national aviation security.
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