On Christmas Eve, a body was found in the wheel well of a United Airlines passenger plane heading from Chicago, USA to Maui, Hawaii, prompting a police investigation.
According to CNN and other outlets, United Airlines announced on the 25th (local time) that a body was discovered in the rear wheel well of United Airlines Flight 202, which landed at Kahului Airport on Maui Island, Hawaii. The wheel well is the part of the fuselage where the wheels fold in right after takeoff.
The aircraft involved is a Boeing 787-10 model. According to the flight tracking website FlightAware.com, the plane took off from Chicago O'Hare International Airport the previous day and arrived in Hawaii on schedule that afternoon. United Airlines confirmed, "The wheel well can only be accessed from outside the aircraft. It is unclear when and how the deceased accessed the wheel well," and stated they are cooperating with the police investigation.
The police are working to identify the deceased and are investigating how the person accessed the passenger plane's wheel well.
CNN reported that in the past, there have been cases where individuals attempting illegal entry hid in the landing gear compartment and were either caught by authorities after landing or died during the flight. The outlet noted that in most aircraft, this space is smaller than a car trunk, and as the flight altitude increases, survival becomes difficult due to lack of oxygen and rapid temperature drops.
According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, more than 77% of people who attempt to board aircraft illegally are found to have died.
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