An alleged stowaway was discovered on an American Airlines flight from Guatemala to Miami on Saturday, November 27, 2021. The man was apprehended by US Customs and Border Protection after airport crewmembers discovered him hiding in the plane's landing gear after the plane had touched down.
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The 26-year-old man, "attempted to evade detection in the landing gear compartment of an aircraft," a statement from CBP explained. The man has not been identified and his nationality is unknown at this time. Here's everything we know about the incident so far.
The plane landed Saturday morning.
The man was hiding in the landing gear on American Airlines flight 1182 from Guatemala City to Miami International Airport, which landed around 10 a.m. Something had evidently raised suspicions with the flight crew while the plane was in the air.
The plane was met by law enforcement.
The airplane was met by law enforcement officials at the airport when it landed. This was "due to a security issue," according to a statement issued by American Airlines, as reported by CNN.
A maintenance worker recorded a video.
According to USA Today, a maintenance worker is responsible for the video of the man being removed from the airplane that surfaced on social media over the weekend. That maintenance worker has declined to make a public statement.
He sent the video to one media outlet.
The maintenance worker is responsible for releasing the video. He contacted the media outlet Only in Dade, which initially shared it on its Instagram page. "We received this video and spoke to the person that took it, he was very scared and it is unbelievable that someone would survive this," said Dan Vasquez, who works for the site.
An investigation is underway.
American Airlines confirmed that it is "working with law enforcement in their investigation," and according to Samuel Orozco, a spokesperson for the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics, which is Guatemala's civil aviation authority. Guatemala has also initiated an investigation.
The risk of traveling as a stowaway is high.
The risk of falling from the plane or freezing to death are both high for stowaways. There's also a risk for loss of oxygen as the plane's altitude increases. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, more than 77% of stowaways die.
