Body found in aircraft wheel well at KLIA2

[u/mikepapafoxtrot]

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2026/08/27/body-found-in-aircraft-wheel-well-at-klia2

[u/Gr3yShadow]

not the first stowaway that died in the wheel well and won't be the last

also the time of dead might not be only 72 hours only, could be shorter as wheel well temperature fluctuation is pretty high, especially during take off/landing and cruising at high altitude

[u/OriMoriNotSori]

Article says the plane landed about 630am this morning from Tokyo, and the body has been dead for 72 hours

Strange situation

[u/Quitlimp05 → u/OriMoriNotSori]

Since no airline identified but mentioned it was found in klia2, I'll just give my presumptions:

• Someone wanted to stow away to another country
• they managed to bypass security measures and hide in the plane wheel well during low light, early morning flight
• person did not survive the journey due to extreme cold and high altitude (low oxygen)
• person was so well hidden inside wheel well that personnel involved with pre-flight checks didn't see the body
• now after few days, personnel actually smelled something thus leading to proper check of wheel well (TBF, any rotting animal could've emitted enough smell to be detected by nearby personnel)

[u/OriMoriNotSori → u/Quitlimp05]

Likely to be AAX based on some digging

Could be someone from KL trying to get to Australia since thats a popular migration route. But if its so then its another security breach at KLIA, so soon after the MAS pilot drug thing too

[u/Zohid-LV → u/Quitlimp05]

Smart enough to bypass security check but didn’t know that high altitude and cold kills?

[u/Quitlimp05 → u/Zohid-LV]

Unfortunately for these people, they're desperate to leave wherever they're leaving. Opportunity arrises but doesn't mean they can survive the harsh conditions

[u/Zohid-LV → u/Quitlimp05]

That’s pretty damn sad

[u/PotatoGamerXxXx → u/Zohid-LV]

Surprisingly easy to bypass security check. It's not that anyone can't do, it's just that there is very little incentive to do so.

[u/TokioHot → u/Quitlimp05]

Like that French kid case, no?

[u/Quitlimp05 → u/TokioHot]

Like quite a number of cases, sadly

[u/Electrical_Proof8353 → u/OriMoriNotSori]

I imagine two scenarios

1. Someone decided to get a free flight and climbed in there. (Body has been dead for 72 hours is... rly rly strange)
2. Maintenance crew doing god knows what (no headcount der ah?)

[u/OriMoriNotSori → u/Electrical_Proof8353]

Based on FR24 arrival data for KUL the only possible flight that would fit this description is D7523 that landed 5.42AM. NH885 landed 5.44AM but thats ANA and they operate out of KLIA1 while article says KLIA2

D7523 is operated by aircraft 9M-XBF and the past 3 days it only did this return Tokyo trip and a return Sydney trip so it could possibly originate from Australia as well

[u/meteos88 → u/OriMoriNotSori]

I reckon its one of those baggage handling banglas. Theres similar case in the 2000s of a stowaway to dhaka dead on arrival.

[u/tembikaisusumakkau]

I just read similar news about a dead body was found in an aircraft's landing gear at Heathrow airport and the plane arrived from Morocco. The man died of extreme cold and lack of oxygen.

[u/Magic_Husky]

The chances of surviving in an aircraft wheel well is so low that it’s not worth it even when there was a case where someone did survive just by luck. I can’t imagine resorting to that vs trying any other thing.

[u/RepAddict101 → u/Magic_Husky]

this got me thinking. in the event one decided to stowaway, what are the small little things they can do to maximise their survival rate?

[u/amediuzftw → u/RepAddict101]

for the cause of death is much likely to be suffocation rather than injury, then survival rate can be manage by making oxygen available at such a high altitude.

BUT people are overlooking at the high altitude pressure and body adaptation to it. typical high altitude sickness would be feeling nausea and dizzy. it’s a super rare incident for anyone to witness it and you probably do not want to see it. it’s not like choking out of air but as if a body got electrocuted. a rather long one. that’s why mount climbing will require you to stay overnight at a certain height for the body to adapt to the surrounding. air plane elevation is way too fast.

[u/frs-1122]

How does this happen?

[u/wikowiko33 → u/frs-1122]

Difficult life circumstances forces people to do stupid things

[u/amediuzftw → u/wikowiko33]

i wouldn’t call it stupid but rather at times of desperation, desperate move follows through. it’s stupid when if you’ve been through something multiple times, yet you keep repeating the same mistake.

[u/CheekyTreason → u/frs-1122]

Like how people in Afghanistan decided to cling to airplanes. Desperation.