Dead body found in wheel well of Chicago to Hawaii jet – DW – 12/26/2024 | masr356.com

Police on the Hawaiian island of Maui said Thursday they were investigating the discovery of a body in the wheel well of a United Airlines plane that arrived from Chicago.

Airline operator United Airlines He said that the area of ​​the plane, a Boeing 787-10, could only be accessed from the outside, adding that it was unclear how the deceased person was able to reach it.

What we know so far

The body was found in one of the compartments containing the plane's landing gear after United Flight 202 from Chicago O'Hare International Airport Landing took place at Kahului Airport.

The airline said: “The wheel well was only accessible from outside the aircraft. At this time, it is not clear how and when the person gained access to the wheel well.”

The Maui Police Department said it is “actively investigating” the horrific discovery, but has not shared further information.

Intruders sometimes hide in unpressurized aircraft wheel chambers, or inside cargo holds, and can encounter temperatures ranging from minus 50 degrees to minus 60 degrees Celsius (minus 58 and minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit).

They also face the problem of lack of oxygen when the plane is at altitude. The mortality rate is high for most of those who hide in the wheel wells, but some people survive the journey.

Last year, a stowaway was discovered at the bottom of an Air Algerian plane in Paris.

A person was also discovered alive in the wheel section of a Cargolux cargo plane at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, which was arriving from South Africa via Kenya.

rc/rm (AFP, Reuters)