Stowaway found in plane's landing gear

[Greg McDonald]

From news.com.au:

AIRPORT workers have found a body on the landing gear of a flight from Beirut after a man apparently tried to hitch a ride on the Saudi-owned Nas Air jet, aviation authorities say.
The body was discovered on Saturday when a maintenance worker went to inspect the right rear landing gear of the Airbus 320 after it landed at Riyadh's King Khaled International Airport on the flight from Lebanon, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation said.

"When approaching the aircraft he discovered the body of a person who had tried to hide in the wheel bay while the plane took off from Beirut International Airport,'' the Jeddah-based authority said.

The unidentified body was sent to forensic medical experts for further examination, they said.

Nas Air flight XY 720 took off from Beirut airport late on Friday and landed on Saturday morning in the Saudi capital.

.."A man who has not yet been identified somehow managed to grab hold of a (wheel) of the jet in Beirut without the control tower noticing before takeoff,'' a Lebanon airport official said.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said passengers on the plane reported seeing a man in a baseball cap with a backpack make a dash for plane as it prepared to taxi. He stumbled once and then continued towards the plane.

"The passengers and flight attendants informed the pilot, but he did not take any action and continued takeoff without informing the Beirut control tower'' that anything was amiss, according to the NNA.

In Riyadh, Nas Air declined to comment on the report.

Good effort by the pilot !!!!!

[Mark Grima]

Good work by the pilot. Are you serious?

In my mind that amounts to murder. The Pilot has a duty of care to everyone and everything on board the aircraft, whether they are on board legally or not. He should of stopped.

Beside the safety of the of the individual, what if he had explosives attached to him? Sack the pilot I say.

Cheers

M

[matthew mcdonald]

I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic

[Mark Grima]

I hope so!

[Brad M]

wasn't the beacon on ?