MAUI, Hawaii. A shocking discovery unfolded at Kahului Airport in Maui on Tuesday afternoon, December 25, when the body of an unidentified individual was found in the wheel well of United Airlines Flight 202, which had just arrived from Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
The deceased was located in one of the compartments housing the aircraft’s landing gear, an area only accessible from outside the plane. In a statement on its website, United Airlines said, “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.”
The airline has confirmed its cooperation with authorities as investigations into the tragic incident continue. No further details about the deceased, including their identity or motive for entering the wheel well, have been released.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has yet to comment on the matter.
Stowaways in wheel wells face extreme dangers due to the lack of pressurization and exposure to frigid temperatures ranging between -50°C and -60°C (-58°F and -76°F) during flights. The chances of survival are exceedingly slim under such conditions, as the lack of oxygen and subzero temperatures are often fatal.
While such occurrences are rare, they have happened before. Last year, a person was found alive in the undercarriage bay of an Algerian carrier’s aircraft that landed in Paris. In January 2022, another stowaway survived after being discovered in the wheel section of a Cargolux freight plane that arrived at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport from Africa.
United Airlines has expressed its commitment to aiding the ongoing investigation and ensuring the safety of its flights. The discovery raises pressing questions about security measures and how the individual accessed the aircraft’s wheel well.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
