A dead stowaway was on Monday, April 17, discovered in the wheel well of a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 777.
The aircraft (registered PH-BQM) flew from Nigeria’s commercial hub, Lagos, according to Belgium’s Aviation24.
It’s unclear how the undocumented passenger found his way into the aircraft but an investigation has been launched to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
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According to a statement issued by the airline, the dead stowaway was discovered in the wheel well of the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 777 (registered PH-BQM on Monday, April 17th, 2023.
The statement declared: “This morning, a deceased stowaway was discovered in the wheel well of a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 777 (registered PH-BQM).
“The aircraft originated from Lagos, Nigeria. It’s currently unknown how and when the man was able to climb into the aircraft; an investigation has been launched.
“The aircraft originated from Lagos, Nigeria. It’s currently unknown how and when the man was able to climb into the aircraft; an investigation has been launched.
The passenger was believed to have died from hypothermia.
According to a spokesperson from the Royal Dutch Marechaussee, stowaways in wheel wells of aircraft face extreme temperatures that can drop to as low as minus fifty degrees during longer flights. This makes survival virtually impossible, and hypothermia is likely to be a contributing factor in this case.
He said, “Sometimes they survive, but most of the time it goes wrong given the sharp drop in temperature. On longer flights, temperatures can go down to minus fifty degrees, impossible to survive.”
