MAN DIES ON AMERICAN AIRLINES PLANE IN LANDING GEAR WHILE TRYING TO SNEAK INTO UNITED STATES

Jose Joaquin De Leon Santiz, 25, is the stowaway that died in the landing gear of an American Airlines plane at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, NC. Jose is from Guatemala and was trying to sneak into the United States for a better life and more cash. Jose was found dead in the plane on September 28, 2025. Follow Charlotte Alerts on Instagram.

Jose Joaquin De Leon Santiz

The American Airlines plane had made trips between Charlotte, Madrid, and Frankfurt, Germany. It is unclear what stop Jose got aboard.

But Jose snuck onto the landing gear some where in between flights. Astonishingly no airline workers saw him. Jose was seeking to get to the United States for a better life, he did not have the proper documentation to enter the USA the legal way.

Even after a cross Atlantic flight, Jose managed to stay in the landing gear some way, some how. But Jose died once the plane touched down in Charlotte, either from the exhaust, the heat, or the heavy duty mechanics of the plane.

Employees at Charlotte Douglas International Airport were performing maintenance on the plane when they found Jose dead in the landing gear. Jose’s face was chared black from jet fumes and his body was melted. His clothes were ripped also.

Situations like this are commonly referred to as a stowaway. Jose’s family in Guatemala was notified of his death by the Guatemalan Consulate.