Maui, USA – Local Police in Hawaii are investigating the discovery of a dead body in the wheel well of a United Airlines aircraft that arrived from Chicago. The grim find was made after United Flight 202 landed at Kahului Airport on the Island of Maui.

The body was located in the compartment housing the Boeing 787-10’s landing gear, which is only accessible from the outside of the plane. United Airlines has confirmed that it remains unclear how the deceased individual managed to gain access to the wheel well.

The Maui Police Department is actively investigating the incident, though no further details have been provided at this time. The airline stated that stowaways often hide in unpressurised wheel wells or cargo holds, facing extreme conditions such as temperatures as low as minus 60°C and a lack of oxygen during the flight.

While the fatality rate for such journeys is high, there have been rare instances of survivors, with previous cases of stowaways discovered in similar conditions at airports in Paris and Amsterdam.

The investigation is ongoing.
DW