Body found in BA jet landing gear

British Airways said they would co-operate with the inquiry

The body of a suspected stowaway has been found in the landing gear of a British Airways plane in Los Angeles.

A pilot discovered the body as he was checking the plane two hours before it was due to fly to London Heathrow. The plane arrived from London on Sunday.

The victim has not been named but a spokesman for the FBI said he was a young black male.

A BA spokesman said: "We will co-operate fully with the police and do whatever they request of us."

BA flight 282 had arrived in Los Angeles International Airport from London on Sunday afternoon an hour before the discovery was made.

'Unidentified body'

The body was found in the front right gear bay of the 747.

Airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles said: "One of the pilots was conducting a pre-flight walk-around check of the aircraft and the pilot discovered an unidentified body in the wheel well."

Investigators from the FBI and Los Angeles Police Department are now trying to establish whether the man boarded the plane in London, Los Angeles or at an earlier departure point.

FBI spokesman Kenneth Smith said a report from LA county coroner's office into the man's death would take around a week to complete.

Mr Smith added: "He is believed to have been a stowaway.

"We don't believe there is a terrorism nexus, nor do we suspect that there was any foul play."

In a similar case, the body of a young African man was found in the gear bay of a Delta plane that landed in Atlanta, Georgia, US, from Dakar, Senegal.