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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| Investigation into whether dead man found in London was plane stowaway | Investigation into whether dead man found in London was plane stowaway |
| (21 days later) | |
| A man found dead in a residential street could have fallen there from a plane, police investigating the case believe. | A man found dead in a residential street could have fallen there from a plane, police investigating the case believe. |
| Police are looking into whether the body discovered in Mortlake, south-west London, at 7.55am on Sunday morning was that of a stowaway. The man, thought to be in his 30s, had multiple injuries. | Police are looking into whether the body discovered in Mortlake, south-west London, at 7.55am on Sunday morning was that of a stowaway. The man, thought to be in his 30s, had multiple injuries. |
| Local resident Joe Dodd told London's Evening Standard: "When I got up at 8am, the body was still on the pavement. They had not moved it. | Local resident Joe Dodd told London's Evening Standard: "When I got up at 8am, the body was still on the pavement. They had not moved it. |
| "We were not allowed out of our house for ages. There was police and ambulances everywhere. From where I was, it looked like he had a head injury of some kind. There was loads of blood everywhere, all over the street and on a car." | "We were not allowed out of our house for ages. There was police and ambulances everywhere. From where I was, it looked like he had a head injury of some kind. There was loads of blood everywhere, all over the street and on a car." |
| A Metropolitan police spokeswoman said officers were called to the address at around 7.55am on Sunday "following reports of a dead body". | A Metropolitan police spokeswoman said officers were called to the address at around 7.55am on Sunday "following reports of a dead body". |
| She said: "The death is currently being treated as unexplained. Inquiries are ongoing to establish the male's identity." A postmortem examination was due to take place on Tuesday. | She said: "The death is currently being treated as unexplained. Inquiries are ongoing to establish the male's identity." A postmortem examination was due to take place on Tuesday. |
| She added that the theory he might have been a stowaway who fell from a plane was "one line of inquiry". | She added that the theory he might have been a stowaway who fell from a plane was "one line of inquiry". |
| There have been a small number of cases of stowaways plunging to their deaths after clinging to aircraft. | There have been a small number of cases of stowaways plunging to their deaths after clinging to aircraft. |
| In December 2000, the bodies of two men were found in farmland near Gatwick airport after falling from the undercarriage of two different planes. | In December 2000, the bodies of two men were found in farmland near Gatwick airport after falling from the undercarriage of two different planes. |
| In 1996, Vijay Saini, 19, died after falling 2,000 feet from a DC9 jet over Richmond, south-west London, as it approached Heathrow. His brother Pardeep, 22, survived the 10 hour journey from Delhi in freezing temperatures. | In 1996, Vijay Saini, 19, died after falling 2,000 feet from a DC9 jet over Richmond, south-west London, as it approached Heathrow. His brother Pardeep, 22, survived the 10 hour journey from Delhi in freezing temperatures. |
| In some instances bodies have remained for several flights after becoming lodged in the undercarriage bay. Because the space is so small, the bodies can become jammed and tumble out several days later, dislodged by a bumpy landing or turbulence. | In some instances bodies have remained for several flights after becoming lodged in the undercarriage bay. Because the space is so small, the bodies can become jammed and tumble out several days later, dislodged by a bumpy landing or turbulence. |
| On most jets, the only way a flight deck sensor would show a problem was if the undercarriage failed to fully retract, suggesting an object had jammed it. | On most jets, the only way a flight deck sensor would show a problem was if the undercarriage failed to fully retract, suggesting an object had jammed it. |
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