VLADIVOSTOK, August 10 (RIA Novosti) - The body of an unidentified man was discovered in the wheel well of an A320 passenger plane, a spokesman for the Far East Investigative Committee told RIA Novosti on Monday.
"The body of an unidentified man was found in the port-side wheel chassis of an Airbus A320," the spokesman said. "His body was discovered during post-flight checks after the airplane landed in Vladivostok."
The flight originated in Irkutsk with a stopover in Khabarovsk. Investigators have not determined at which airport the man climbed into the plane.
They said the condition of the corpse suggested the man had been dead for at least five days. If he had been in the plane for that length of time, it is not clear why the body was not discovered during previous post-flight inspections.
According to preliminary investigations, the man died of hypothermia and lack of oxygen. The body's position and location in the chassis have led investigators to believe the man attempted to fly illegally.
Investigations are continuing to identify the man and at which airport he was able to climb inside the belly of the Vladivostok Avia plane.
