Stowaway found dead in landing gear of American Airlines plane

A stowaway was found dead inside the landing gear of an American Airlines plane after it touched down in the US.

The discovery was made at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, North Carolina, shortly after 9am local time on Sunday.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) said the aircraft had recently arrived from Europe, with maintenance crews raising the alarm after finding the body in the landing gear.

In a statement, CMPD said: "The subject was pronounced deceased on scene by CMPD's airport division officers.

"Homicide unit detectives responded to the scene to conduct an investigation, and crime scene search responded to process the scene and collect physical evidence."

Representatives from CMPD's operations command and Mecklenburg EMS Agency (Medic) also assisted.

A spokesperson for American Airlines said: "We are working with law enforcement on its investigation."

CMPD's homicide unit is leading the probe. Detectives are urging anyone with information to come forward.

The force added: "The investigation into this case is active and ongoing."

Airport authorities said they were aware of the incident.

A spokesperson added: "We are deeply saddened by this news and will support the CMPD investigation as needed.

"Airport operations continue as normal."

This article originally featured in Sky News.