Dead Body Discovered In Aircraft’s Wheel Well In Hawaii: What We Know So Far

A tragic and bizarre case came to light when the body was discovered in a United Airlines plane’s wheel well that landed in Maui on Tuesday, December 24. The aircraft had left from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport as it landed at Kahului Airport in Hawaii, a gruesome sight was unfolded in front of the crew and authorities.

A body was found in the plane’s main landing gear wheel well after it landed on Maui, according to a statement from United Airlines. The name of the deceased person still is not known, and inquiries are underway.

“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,” the airline confirmed with CNN on Wednesday. United Airlines announced their cooperation with law enforcement investigating the case, while they remained silent on details over how the person was actually accessing that particular wheel well.

The airline clarified that since the wheel well is accessible only from the outside of the aircraft, it remains unclear when or how the person gained access. “At this time, it is not clear how or when the person accessed the wheel well,” a spokesperson stated.

Police Investigate The Incident

The Maui Police Department issued an announcement regarding an ongoing active investigation of a deceased body found on a flight landing from the mainland today. “No additional information available at this time,” it was reported. It is unclear what is transpiring among law enforcement, but surely, the airlines are consulting closely with these authorities for more details concerning this event.

Hazards Involved With Stowing In Wheel Well

Stowing away in an airplane’s wheel well is a dangerous and often fatal method of attempting to travel illegally. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports that over 77% of individuals who attempt this method of stowing away do not survive. The wheel well is a confined space, often smaller than a car trunk, with extreme cold temperatures and a lack of oxygen at cruising altitude.

Apart from the physical dangers posed by the situation, another risk stowaways encounter is being crushed when retraction of the landing gear occurs during takeoff and landing.

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