Body falls from wheel well of cargo plane as it leaves Dominican Republic for Miami
By APFriday, February 19, 2010
Body falls from plane leaving Dominican Republic
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — The body of a young man fell from a cargo plane as it was starting to take off for Miami, Dominican officials said.
An air traffic controller saw something fall from the Amerijet cargo plane just after it took off and workers found the body, prompting a 45-minute shutdown of the runway on Thursday, said Yolanda Manan, spokeswoman for the Las Americas International Airport in the Dominican capital.
Officials said pilot Felix Joseph Gruosso was not immediately aware of what had happened and continued flying.
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said Friday the plane landed without incident at Miami International Airport and was taken to a remote spot for an inspection.
Officials were investigating whether the victim worked at the airport and how he was able to get past security to access a restricted area, Airport Minister Aristides Fernandez Zucco said late Thursday.
The man had not been identified and was not carrying any personal documents, Manan said.
A telephone message left with an Amerijet spokeswoman was not immediately returned.
