Man died of extreme cold in plane landing gear

An unidentified man found in a plane's wheel compartment at Gatwick Airport died after being exposed to extreme cold and a lack of oxygen, an inquest has heard.

Coroner Joseph Turner opened the inquest at Horsham Coroner's Court on Tuesday into the death of the man, whose identity still remains unknown.

The court heard his body was discovered in the landing gear compartment of an Air Arabia flight which had arrived from Tangier, Morocco, on 16 June.

A ground engineer found the man while carrying out checks on the aircraft and the man was confirmed dead at the scene.

A post-mortem examination found the man's death had been caused by cardiac arrest, hypoxia (low oxygen) and hypothermia, the court heard.

Turner, the West Sussex, Brighton and Hove area coroner, said conditions in the aircraft's wheel compartment would have been extremely cold and oxygen levels would have been low.

He said he had reason to believe the death was "unnatural".

At the time of the incident, a Gatwick Airport spokesperson said: "London Gatwick's emergency services attended an Air Arabia aircraft just after 11.30 BST on 16 June when an incident was identified upon arrival.

"As Sussex Police have confirmed, a body was found. Our teams subsequently supported officers and the coroner. Our thoughts are with everyone affected."

The inquest has been adjourned until 24 February 2027.

Additional reporting by PA.

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