An unidentified man found in the wheel compartment of a plane that landed at Gatwick airport died after being in extremely cold conditions with a lack of oxygen, an inquest opening has heard.
West Sussex Brighton and Hove Area Coroner Joseph Turner opened the inquest at the coroner’s court in Horsham on Tuesday for the unknown person who died on June 16 2026.
A statement from coroner’s officer Alex Jones read in court said the unknown man was found within the landing gear compartment of an Air Arabia plane that had arrived from Tangiers, Morocco.
A ground engineer had checked the area and the man was confirmed dead once he was located.
A post-mortem examination found the cause of death to be cardiac arrest, followed by hypoxia and hypothermia.
The coroner noted that conditions inside the wheel compartment would have been extremely cold and that there would have been a lack of oxygen, as he formally opened the inquest on the basis he had “reason to believe this death was unnatural”.
Sussex Police at the time said it had launched an investigation into what had happened.
At the time of the incident, a London Gatwick spokesperson said: “London Gatwick’s emergency services attended an Air Arabia aircraft just after 11.30am on Tuesday June 16 2026 when an incident was identified upon arrival.
“As Sussex Police have confirmed, a body was found. Our teams subsequently supported Sussex Police and the coroner. Our thoughts are with everyone affected.”
Similar incidents have happened in recent years. In 2022 a man’s body was found in the undercarriage of a Tui flight at Gatwick after it had travelled from Gambia. Other incidents of stowaways include that of a body that fell from a Heathrow-bound plane on to nearby land.
The inquest has been adjourned until February 24 2027.
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