A new documentary has revisited the shocking story of two stowaways, who clung to a plane from South Africa to Britain in June 2015.

Channel 4’s The Man Who Fell from The Sky interviews the only survivor, who miraculously made the 8,000 miles from Johannesburg to Heathrow by hiding in the British Airways plane’s undercarriage.

The man, known as Justin, recounts the loss of his friend, Carlito Vale, who fell to his death onto a Richmond roof when the wheel well of the plane opened.

Vale was tragically found in the office block of online retailer Notonthehighstreet.com, in Kew Road.

%image('12198748', type='article-full', caption='Carlito Vale landed on the roof of NotOnTheHighStreet.com's offices in Richmond.', alt='Carlito Vale landed on the roof of NotOnTheHighStreet.com's offices in Richmond.')

The company's facilities manager, Michael Bentley, made the gruesome discovery on June 18, when he was investigating complaints from staff that the offices were too hot.

Going to the roof to look at the heating and cooling units, he saw matter on the ground and looking into one unit, he saw a foot and a leg.

The father from Mozambique grew up in an orphanage and had travelled to Uganda and South Africa before attempting to resettle in London.

For Justin, who was found alive after a 430-metre fall on the ground of Heathrow Airport, the story has a more optimistic ending.

He is believed to have survived freezing temperatures of up to minus 60C (minus 76F) for most of the 12-hour flight and was "dead or nearly dead" by the time he hit the ground.

%image('12198749', type='article-full', caption='The stowaways hid in the undercarriage of a British Airways plane. ', alt='The stowaways hid in the undercarriage of a British Airways plane. ')

Tracked down by documentary maker Rich Bentley, Justin now lives in a one-bedroom flat in Liverpool, although still walks on crutches from injuries sustained from the fall.

He is waiting to get a passport, and in the meantime making friends and pursuing a musical career.

There have been other cases when stowaways have plunged to their deaths in west London after smuggling themselves on to planes.

However, by hiding themselves in the landing gear they are exposed to the elements and must endure plummeting temperatures. Most are killed by the cold and lack of oxygen at high altitudes.

In September 2012, Jose Matada, 26, died after falling from the undercarriage of a Heathrow-bound flight from Angola on to a quiet street in Mortlake.