A dead body was discovered in the wheel well of a United Airlines jetliner after it landed on the Hawaiian island of Maui, the airline confirmed on Wednesday.
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The remains were found in a compartment housing the aircraft’s landing gear when United Flight 202, originating from Chicago O’Hare International Airport, landed at Kahului Airport on Tuesday afternoon, according to the airline’s website. No additional information about the deceased has been disclosed.
“The wheel well was only accessible from outside the aircraft. At this time, it is unclear how or when the individual entered the compartment,” the airline stated.
United Airlines is cooperating with authorities on the investigation, while the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to issue a statement regarding the incident.
Stowing away in unpressurized wheel wells poses severe risks, including exposure to temperatures ranging from -50°C to -60°C (-58°F to -76°F) and extreme oxygen deprivation. The fatality rate for such attempts is high, but rare cases of survival have been reported.
Last year, an individual survived a journey in the undercarriage bay of an Algerian carrier’s aircraft in Paris. In January 2022, a stowaway was found alive in the wheel section of a Cargolux freight plane that landed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport from Africa.
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