Found By American Airlines Maintenance Crews In New York

It was a grisly Christmas day discovery. American Airlines ground personnel found the body of a man Thursday in the wheel well of Flight 1190, which departed Montego Bay, Jamaica on Wednesday.

There was no immediate indication of where or how the 25-year old man got onto the A300 aircraft. Airline officials speculated the man may have been there for several days.

And that raises another concern.

With the nation at Level Orange alert, on the lookout for terrorists who might be intent on hijacking commercial aircraft in another 9/11 wave of attacks, how was it this passenger not only got on the flight, but remained undetected for more than 24 hours.

"We'll follow up with a thorough investigation internally to determine the exact circumstances around this event," said American Airlines spokesman Carlo Bertolini. "We're obviously committed to security, and we'll investigate this situation thoroughly."

Dan Maynard, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said, "Port Authority police are investigating the circumstances of the case but believe the unidentified man was a stowaway because he was found in a location where people are not supposed to be."

FMI: www.tsa.gov