Baggage Handler Locked in Cargo Hold of Plane From CLT to IAD

Reginald Gaskin survived the journey from Charlotte to Dulles in the cargo hold of United Express Flight 6060, which reached an altitude of 27,000 feet.

An investigation is underway to ascertain how a baggage handler came to be locked in the cargo hold of a plane as it made its journey from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).

The incident occurred just before 3 p.m. EST on Sunday afternoon and took place onboard United Express Flight 6060, operated by Mesa Airlines.

The baggage handler, named by The Washington Post as 45-year-old Reginald Gaskin, emerged unharmed at the end of the 90-minute flight.

While Gaskin declined to discuss the particulars of his ordeal with the outlet, he credited a higher power with his survival. “I thank God. He was with me,” Gaskin said after the incident.

According to records, during its journey, the craft, a 50-seater Embraer 170, reached an altitude of 27,000 feet. A spokesperson for United Airlines would not clarify if the hold was pressurized or temperature controlled during the flight.

However, it is clear that, at some point during the flight’s journey, staff on the ground at CID suspected that Gaskin had somehow become locked in the plane’s hold. They contacted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), who in turn alerted officials at IAD.

An emergency response team awaited the plane’s arrival in Washington to receive Gaskin, if needed. Gaskin is an employee of G2 Secure Staff, a company which supplies baggage handling services to United.

Both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and airport authorities in Charlotte were informed of the incident, with the latter terming it a “public accident.” G2 Secure Staff has declined to comment on Gaskin’s ordeal.

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