Dead Body Is Found in Wheel Well of United Airlines Plane After Landing

Authorities reported the discovery of a deceased person in the wheel well of a United Airlines plane that had just landed in Hawaii after traveling from Chicago on Tuesday afternoon.https://wordpress.com/

Flight 202 took off from Chicago O’Hare International Airport at 9:31 a.m. local time and arrived at Kahului Airport on Maui at 2:12 p.m. local time, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service.

After landing, United Airlines confirmed that a body had been found in the wheel well of one of the aircraft’s main landing gears. The airline released a statement on Wednesday addressing the situation.

The Maui Police Department stated that the individual, whose identity has not been released, was found deceased. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death, according to department spokesperson Alana K. Pico. United Airlines has stated that it is cooperating with authorities in the investigation.

It remains unclear how or when the person accessed the wheel well, which is located beneath the plane and holds the retractable landing gear. A United Airlines spokesperson clarified that the compartment is only accessible from the outside of the aircraft. The plane involved was a Boeing 787-10.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has previously pointed out that survival in wheel wells or similar compartments is extremely rare, given the low oxygen levels and extreme temperatures encountered during flights to cruising altitude. The FAA did not immediately respond to inquiries for comment.

While the police did not confirm whether the individual was a stowaway, it is known that similar tragic incidents have occurred in the past. In 2021, a 26-year-old man survived a flight from Guatemala to Miami after hiding in the landing gear compartment. In 2019, the body of a man believed to have fallen from the landing gear of a flight from Nairobi to Heathrow Airport was found in the backyard of a home in southwest London.