A Body Found on a Flight from Tangier: We Know How He Died, but Not Who He Was

Coroner Joseph Turner officially opened the inquest into the man’s death on Tuesday, August 25, before the Horsham Coroner’s Court in West Sussex. The hearing revealed the findings of the forensic examination.

The autopsy concluded that he suffered cardiac arrest associated with hypoxia, caused by a lack of oxygen, and hypothermia. The coroner recalled that conditions in the wheel compartment were extremely cold and that the air there was severely depleted during the flight, reports The Independent.

The body was discovered on June 16 by a ground technician inspecting an Air Arabia aircraft that had arrived at London Gatwick Airport from Tangier. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Bladi.net : article 121977

The coroner considered that there were sufficient grounds to classify the death as “unnatural.” This classification does not necessarily mean that a crime was committed: it allows further investigations into the circumstances that led the man to end up in the landing gear.

Still no identity two months later

Despite searches carried out since June, British authorities still know neither the victim’s name, age nor nationality.

The aircraft’s arrival from Tangier suggests that the man may have accessed the compartment before takeoff, but this hypothesis has not been officially confirmed. Investigators must still determine where and how he managed to reach the aircraft and hide in this area, which is inaccessible from the cabin.

Sussex Police is continuing its investigation with the airport authorities and the coroner. The case also raises questions about security around aircraft at Tangier Airport.

This type of attempt is almost always fatal. In 2019, a Guinean man was found dead after traveling 3,800 kilometers in the landing gear of a Royal Air Maroc aircraft. Stowaways risk being crushed when the landing gear retracts, losing consciousness due to a lack of oxygen, or dying of hypothermia.

On Bladi.net : Tragedy on the Nador-Brussels flight: A Moroccan dies of a heart attack, the plane makes an emergency landing in Bord…

The British inquest has been adjourned until February 2027. It will notably seek to identify the victim and establish the circumstances in which he was able to reach the aircraft. For now, the autopsy provides an answer as to how he died, but the mystery surrounding his identity and journey remains complete.