An inquest has opened into the death of an unidentified man found in the wheel compartment of a plane at Gatwick Airport, after he apparently stowed away on a flight from Morocco to Britain and froze to death during the journey. The case highlights the extreme dangers faced by stowaways who attempt to travel in aircraft undercarriages, a method that exposes them to lethal cold, low oxygen and crushing risk during flight.

The man was discovered unresponsive on 16 June by a ground engineer who noticed a packing strap hanging from the landing gear of an Air Arabia aircraft that had arrived from Tangier. A post-mortem found he died of cardiac arrest brought on by hypoxia and hypothermia, and West Sussex Brighton and Hove Area Coroner Joseph Turner formally opened the inquest at Horsham coroner's court, noting he had "reason to believe this death was unnatural". No details of the man's identity, including his name, age or nationality, have been established, and the inquest has been adjourned until 24 February 2027.