Authorities in Hawaii are investigating the discovery of a body in the wheel well of a United Airlines plane flying from Chicago to Maui on Christmas Eve.
“Upon arrival at Kahului Airport on Tuesday, Maui, a body was found in the wheel well of one of the main landing gears of a United aircraft,” the airline said in a statement to CNN this Wednesday (25).
The lifeless body was discovered in a Boeing 787-10 plane, the statement added. Flight UA202 arrived in Hawaii on Tuesday afternoon without delays, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.com.
“The wheel compartment could only be accessed from the outside of the airplane,” United Airlines said. “At this time, it is unclear how or when the person accessed the location.”
A is working with local authorities, according to the release. Maui police did not immediately respond to the agency’s request. CNN for more information.
The Maui Police Department is investigating the discovery of the body, according to Hawaii News Now, an affiliate of CNN.
It is not clear how the body got into the plane’s wheel well or how the person died.
Hiding in the wheel well of one is the most common method used by stowaways in their attempts to travel. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), more than 77% of people who tried to illegally board a plane have died.
These people are often crushed when the landing gear is retracted as the space is very tight; on many planes, the space is even smaller than the trunk of a car.
As the flight reaches higher altitudes, conditions worsen. Oxygen levels become extremely low and the stowaways struggle to maintain consciousness. During the flight, temperatures outside the plane can drop drastically, reaching more than 20 degrees Celsius below zero, which impairs blood circulation. These illegal passengers are at risk of frostbite and even hypothermia.
