An inquest has opened into the death of an unidentified man whose body was found inside the wheel compartment of an Air Arabia aircraft at Gatwick Airport. The coroner has ruled the death as unnatural, with medical evidence pointing to extreme cold and oxygen deprivation as contributing factors.
Discovery at Gatwick Airport
Coroner Joseph Turner opened proceedings at Horsham Coroner's Court on Tuesday, where the court heard that a ground engineer discovered the body on June 16. The aircraft had just arrived from Tangier, Morocco, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the BBC, the body was found inside the landing gear compartment of the Air Arabia plane. The man's identity remains unknown, and no details about his nationality were disclosed during the hearing.
Post-Mortem Findings
A post-mortem examination established that the man died from cardiac arrest, hypoxia (low oxygen levels), and hypothermia. Turner, who serves as the West Sussex, Brighton and Hove area coroner, told the court that conditions inside a plane's wheel compartment would have been severely cold with dangerously low oxygen levels during the flight. He stated he had reason to believe the death was "unnatural."
At the time the body was discovered, a Gatwick Airport spokesperson said: "London Gatwick's emergency services attended an Air Arabia aircraft just after 11.30 BST on 16 June when an incident was identified upon arrival. As Sussex Police have confirmed, a body was found. Our teams subsequently supported officers and the coroner. Our thoughts are with everyone affected."
Inquest Adjourned
The inquest has been adjourned and is not expected to resume until February 24, 2027. No further details about the deceased's identity or nationality were provided during Tuesday's hearing.
This incident follows a separate report by Legit.ng about a Nigerian man, Ademola Oke, who was found dead at his workplace in the United Kingdom in April 2026. According to a fundraising appeal by family friend Adejonwo Odutola on GoFundMe, the 37-year-old had left home in good health and communicated regularly with his wife throughout the day, showing no signs of illness. The inquest into the Gatwick death remains open, with the next hearing scheduled for February 2027.
