Man again caught hiding in plane’s landing gear on flight to Miami, Texas officials say

A recent flight from Houston to Miami was delayed after a preflight check revealed a man hiding in the airplane’s landing gear – and it’s not the first time he’s done this, Texas officials told news outlets.

Jehffrey Gutirres, 26, is accused of trespassing at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on May 27 and placing passengers in “imminent danger of serious bodily injury … as the aircraft was about to depart,” according to Harris County court documents.

There were 166 passengers on board the American Airlines plane, and while nobody was hurt, the flight was deboarded and delayed by 44 minutes, officials told KPRC.

Gutirres has traveled like this before, the outlet reported. In 2021, he was found in the landing gear compartment of a plane that landed in Miami from Guatemala, multiple outlets reported.

Gutirres was also caught trespassing at Bush Intercontinental Airport in late April, about a month prior to the latest incident, officials told KHOU.

He was required to wear an ankle monitor after that and ordered not to come within 200 feet of the airport, KTRK reported. But he simply took off the ankle monitor before attempting to catch the May 27 flight to Miami, the station said.

Gutirres’ bond has been set at $1 million, according to court records.

This story was originally published June 1, 2023 at 4:19 PM with the headline "Man again caught hiding in plane’s landing gear on flight to Miami, Texas officials say."