AN iFLY jet took SEVEN flights before maintenance workers finally noticed there was a dead stowaway in the wheel well.

The iFly Airbus A330-300 had completed a flight from Rimini, Italy to Moscow, Russia when maintenance workers noticed blood stains on the main landing gear struts. After a complete inspection of the wheel well they found the remains of a male carrying a Georgia passport.

According to the Aviation Herald, autopsy results on June 6 revealed the man had frozen to death.

Investigations are underway to determine where the man might have got onto the aircraft.

"According to a preliminary conclusion, the Afro-American man died from freezing. The man was apparently flying without a ticket," the Investigative Committee said on its website.

While it may seem impossible to most people that maintenance workers would not see a dead man, industry experts have fiercely debated the case on internet forums.

On KeyPublishing’s forum Harrie Spotter said: "Something like this is next to impossible to see on a pre-flight runaround. Remember that the landing gear doors are closed when on the ground. If there is not a clear trickle of blood or guts running past the landing gear strut you would not be able to see it."

Others were not so sympathetic.

Enjoy the sky wrote: "I cannot believe that no one would have had those doors open at any time during those seven rotations. I spent 25 years in aviation, ten of which was in the post of Traffic Officer, so spent a lot of time on the ramp. Our based aircraft would be given the 'once over' by line maintenance personnel once a day, more than once if the crew demanded it, and always, when the aircraft was on a 'night stop' this included the opening of the wheel well doors, amongst a lot of other things. Sorry to disagree with you, but someone should have seen this, no question."