A person was reportedly found dead with the body lodged in the wheel well of a United Airlines plane when it arrived in Maui, Hawaii, on Christmas Eve. The airline and data from FlightAware revealed that Flt. 202 took off from Chicago's O’Hare International Airport on Tuesday, December 24, around 9:49 am. It reached Kahului Airport about 2:12 pm.
The body was found in a landing-gear wheel well of the Boeing 787-10, United Airlines told New York Post. This area of the plane can only be accessed from outside. United Airlines said in a statement that “a body was found in the wheel well of one of the main landing gears on a United aircraft” after the landing, according to The New York Times.
How did the person access the wheel well?
Sources told local outlet Hawaii News Now that the body belonged to a male. Officials could not provide an explanation for the incident.
“At this time, it is not clear how or when the person accessed the wheel well,” the airline said, adding that it is working with law enforcement on the incident.
The cops said in a statement, “The Maui Police Department is currently conducting an active investigation regarding a deceased individual discovered on an incoming flight from the mainland this afternoon. At this time, no further details are available.”
{{/usCountry}}The cops said in a statement, “The Maui Police Department is currently conducting an active investigation regarding a deceased individual discovered on an incoming flight from the mainland this afternoon. At this time, no further details are available.”
{{/usCountry}}State officials confirmed that the incident did not affect flights, and the airport is conducting operations as per usual.
It remains unclear how the person entered the wheel well. The compartment, located underneath the plane, stores the retractable landing gear. The Federal Aviation Administration previously said that being able to survive in the wheel wells is rare due to low oxygen levels in wheel storage compartments and extreme temperatures as flights climb to cruising altitudes. Similar deaths have been reported in the past too.