Inquest opens into death of unidentified man found in plane landing gear at Gatwick

Unbiased summary

On June 16, 2026, an unidentified man was found dead in the landing gear compartment of an Air Arabia flight that had arrived at London Gatwick Airport from Tangier, Morocco. A ground engineer discovered the body after spotting a packing strap hanging from the compartment. Emergency services attended the aircraft just after 11:30am. A post-mortem examination determined the cause of death as cardiac arrest, with hypoxia and hypothermia contributing. At an inquest opening at Horsham Coroner's Court, Area Coroner Joseph Turner stated the conditions inside the wheel compartment would have been extremely cold with low oxygen, and he had reason to believe the death was unnatural. The coroner adjourned the inquest until February 24, 2027. Sussex Police said they launched an investigation. Similar incidents have been reported in previous years at UK airports.

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Coverage by outlet

The Independent centre-left

Angle Neutral, factual reporting focused on the procedural aspects of the inquest and the mystery surrounding the man's identity.

Bias This report sticks closely to official statements from the coroner, police, and airport. It does not label the man as a 'stowaway' in the headline, instead saying 'unidentified man,' which is more neutral. It also includes context of similar past incidents, but without sensationalism. The tone is straightforward, with no emphasis on immigration or security angles.

Inquest hears mystery of unidentified man found dead in Gatwick plane landing gear

Daily Mail right

Angle Sensationalised framing of the victim as a 'mystery stowaway' who 'froze to death' during a flight from Africa.

Bias The headline uses the term 'stowaway' and 'froze to death,' which are more dramatic than the official cause (cardiac arrest, hypoxia, hypothermia). It also mentions 'flight from Africa' rather than just Morocco, subtly broadening to a continental, potentially immigration-adjacent narrative. The detail about the 'packing strap' is included to add colour, but the report omits the adjournment date and any mention of similar past incidents, which would have normalised the event.

Mystery stowaway found dead in wheel compartment of plane at Gatwick airport froze to death during flight from Africa, inquest told

GB News right

Angle Emphasises the 'African' identity of the deceased and the 'brutal conditions' of stowaway travel, evoking border-security concerns.

Bias The headline explicitly calls the man an 'African stowaway,' which is not confirmed by any official source and is an editorial label. The article repeatedly uses 'stowaway' and highlights the high fatality rate of such attempts, framing this as a dangerous immigration issue. It downplays the coroner's formal language, instead using more emotive phrasing like 'frozen to death' and 'brutal conditions.' It also omits the adjournment date and any broader context of similar incidents, which might dilute the uniqueness of the event.

African stowaway found frozen to death in plane's wheel compartment at Gatwick Airport