A body was found in the cockpit of a United Airlines jetliner after it landed on the Hawaiian island of Maui, the airline confirmed Wednesday.
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Reuters reports that when United Flight 202 from Chicago O’Hare International Airport landed at Kahului Airport on Tuesday afternoon, a body was found in one of the plane’s landing gear compartments, according to the airline’s website. discovered.
No further details about the deaths were provided, according to the report.
“The wheelhouse was only accessible from the outside of the aircraft. At this time, it is not clear when or how the individual gained access to the wheels.”
United Airlines said it is cooperating with authorities in investigating the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Stowaways in unpressurized airplane wheelhouses or cargo holds are exposed to extreme conditions, including temperatures of minus 50 to minus 60 degrees Celsius (minus 58 to minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit) and lack of oxygen.
Most stowaways from garages die, but some survive the ordeal.
Last year, a person was found alive in the lower storage compartment of an aircraft on an Algerian aircraft carrier in Paris. In January 2022, a stowaway was found alive in the lower front wheel of a Cargolux cargo plane that arrived at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport from Africa.
The wheelhouse was only accessible from outside the aircraft. At this time, it is not clear when or how the person gained access to the wheel well.
(Information provided by Reuters)
