Flight Lasted Nearly 90 Minutes

A baggage handler was somehow locked in the cargo hold of a United Express Embraer E-170 jet the that flew from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to Washington Dulles International Airport Sunday ... and survived the ordeal.

The McClatchy News Service reports that the man has been identified by multiple media outlets as Reginald Gaskin. He works for Texas-based G2 Secure Staff.

The airline said in a statement that Gaskin was found in the cargo hold of the aircraft when it arrived at Dulles. He was reportedly accidentally locked in the hold at Charlotte. The plane flew at FL270, where temperatures can routinely drop to as much as 30 degrees below zero. The air pressure would have been about the same as the top of Mt. Everest, which tops out at 29,000 feet.

Gaskin refused to be examined by paramedics when he was discovered at Dulles. He said he would not provide any other details about the incident on the advice of his attorney.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.united.com