Maintenance Staff Find Stowaway Dead in Landing Gear of American Airlines Plane

A stowaway has been found dead in the landing gear of a plane at a Charlotte airport.

On Sunday, Sept. 28, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department confirmed in a press release that the person was found at around 9 a.m. after the American Airlines plane arrived in North Carolina.

“On Sunday, September 28 shortly after 9 a.m., while performing maintenance on an American Airlines plane that had recently arrived from Europe, a stowaway was located in the landing gear,” the release read in part. “The subject was pronounced deceased on scene by CMPD’s Airport Division officers.”

The release added that homicide unit detectives responded to the scene to start an investigation, along with crime scene search to collect physical evidence.

In a statement to PEOPLE, Charlotte Douglas International Airport said, “CLT Airport is aware of the tragic discovery involving a deceased individual found in the landing gear of an American Airlines aircraft on Sunday morning. We are deeply saddened by this news and will support the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s (CMPD) investigation as needed. Airport operations continue as normal.”

American Airlines also told PEOPLE in a statement, “We are working with law enforcement on its investigation.”

Over 77 percent of people who have tried to stow away on a plane have lost their lives, the Federal Aviation Administration previously said, per CNN.

“A human body exposed for many hours to temperatures as low as minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit courts extensive frostbite and loss of limbs, even if the utter lack of oxygen at 35,000 feet or more doesn’t result in brain death,” aviation analyst John Nance told ABC News.

An investigation into Sunday’s incident remains ongoing, per the police news release.

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“Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call 704-432-8477 (TIPS) and speak directly to a Homicide Unit detective,” it added. “The public can also leave information anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or Charlotte Crime Stoppers.”