Man found dead on a West London rooftop might have been an airplane stowaway


Two men are suspected of stowing away on a British Airways flight after one was found unconscious in the plane's undercarriage. The second man was discovered dead on a West London rooftop, apparently having fallen from the plane while it was landing. Police are investigating the incident.
The British Airways flight had traveled 8,000 miles — 10 hours — from Johannesburg, South Africa to Heathrow Airport. According to the Associated Press, roughly three-quarters of airplane stowaways do not survive traveling in the undercarriage due to extreme cold and lack of oxygen. More uncommonly, stowaways have been known to fall out when airplanes are lowering their landing gear. Due to enhanced security measures aimed at preventing terrorist attacks, airplane stowaways remain rare.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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