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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