Man's body found in wheel well of Miami-Detroit jetliner; autopsy pending

ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) _ A man's body was found early Friday in the wheel well of an American Airlines jet from Miami that landed at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. <br/><br/>The body was found about 1

Friday, October 22nd 2004, 9:09 am

By: News On 6

ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) _ A man's body was found early Friday in the wheel well of an American Airlines jet from Miami that landed at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

The body was found about 1 a.m. by an airport worker after passengers had disembarked. A cause of death and identity for the man, who was in his 20s, were not immediately known.

Detroit Metro spokeswoman Barbara Hogan said the flight originated in the Caribbean. She said it left Miami on Thursday evening and landed at Detroit Metro about 12:50 a.m.

The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office was conducting an autopsy, she said.

American Airlines spokeswoman Jacquie Young said the body was found in the left main wheel well of the Boeing 737. She said the death remained under investigation.

People have attempted to stow away on flights in the wheel wells of airliners, a particularly dangerous practice because of extreme temperature and air pressure conditions.