Stowaway from South Africa Falls to Death from British Airways Plane

British Airways has revealed that a man from South Africa fell to his death from one of their planes heading to London yesterday morning, Thursday 18 June.

The man and a companion were apparently hiding in the undercarriage of the plane which had taken off from Johannesburg on Wednesday evening. It is believed that the man fell as the undercarriage was lowered during the plane’s preparations for landing at Heathrow.

The man landed on an office building in Kew Road, Richmond, where employees alerted the police. At the time of falling the plane would have been approximately 426 metres from the ground.

The two stowaways had allegedly sneaked on to the plane at OR Tambo Airport and then hid in the wheel recess for the 11-hour journey. According to the Daily Mail temperatures during the night would have reached -50 degrees Celcius.

The deceased man’s companion suffered “serious” injuries and has been hospitalised in London. According to a police spokesman from Scotland Yard, the survivor is aged between 25 and 30. His identity has not yet been established.

British Airways said: “We are working with the Metropolitan Police and the authorities in Johannesburg to establish the facts surrounding this very rare case.”

Although rare, it is not unique. Back in 2012, a man died after hiding in the landing gear of a flight from Cape Town to London.