A dead body has been found in the wheel well of a United Airlines plane after it travelled 4,000 miles from Chicago and landed in Maui on Christmas Eve, sparking a police investigation.
United Airlines confirmed in a statement to WGN News that the body was found in the wheel well of the main landing gears of Flight 202. “The wheel well was only accessible from outside of the aircraft. At this time, it is not clear how or when the person accessed the wheel well,” United said.
UA flight 202 took off from Chicago's O'Hare airport at 9.50am on Tuesday and landed in Maui's Kahului airport at 2pm local time. After having travelled 4,000 miles, the body was disovered inside the wheel well of the Boeing 787-10, which United Airlines said was only accessible from outside of the aircraft.
The Airline said: "Upon arrival at Kahului airport in Maui on Tuesday, a body was found in the wheel well of one of the main landing gears on a United aircraft. United is working with law enforcement authorities on the investigation." The deceased individual has not been named.
Maui Police said an investigation into the circumstances of Tuesday's incident was ongoing. The force said: "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", Hawaii News Now reports.
State officials said operations at the airport were normal and that travel to and from the site was not affected by this incident. A plane's wheel well, also known as the landing gear compartment, wheel bay or undercarriage, refers to the recess inside the bottom of an aircraft or vehicle in which a wheel is located.
There have been a number of alarming cases of stowaways hiding inside a plane’s wheel well to travel around the world. Most people (77%) who have attempted to hitch an illegal ride using this method have died, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
This is because stowaways can get crushed by retracting landing gear, with the typical wheel well being smaller than the boot of a car - allowing for barely any room to escape.