Two stowaways found dead in the landing gear compartment of a JetBlue plane earlier this year have been identified as teenagers, according to media reports.
The teens were discovered Jan. 6 during a routine post-flight maintenance inspection, after flight 1801, which departed from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport at 7:49 p.m., landed at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport just after 11 p.m.
According to reporting by NBC News, the aircraft also made a stop in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic on Jan 5.
The victims, Jeik Aniluz Lusi, 18, and Elvis Borques Castillo, 16, both from the Dominican Republic, were identified after what Broward County Sheriff’s officials said was “extensive DNA testing.”
So far there is no indication of how the pair were able to breach security and get into the plane’s landing gear, which aviation expert John Gagliano told CBS News is among the deadliest spots on an aircraft for anyone attempting stowaway.
“It’s very, very loud. It’s very cold, and there’s no air to breathe,” he explained. “So, it’s a very dangerous stunt to pull.”
For its part, JetBlue characterized the security breach as a “heartbreaking situation,” saying in a statement that it was committed to working with investigators trying “to understand how this occurred.”
The discovery of the two teens came just a week after a body was discovered in the wheel well of a United Airlines flight traveling from Chicago to Maui.
In a statement from the airline, officials said the location where the body was found was only accessible from the outside of the aircraft and it was unclear how the deceased got there.
