Imagine boarding a flight and landing in paradise—only to find a mystery waiting for you at the airport. That’s exactly what happened when United Airlines Flight 202 touched down in Maui from Chicago this week.
After landing at Kahului Airport, the plane’s crew discovered a dead body hidden in one of the compartments where the landing gear is stored. The compartment, called a wheel well, is not somewhere you’d expect to find a person, but that’s exactly what happened.
The airline didn’t release any details about the person who was found, but they did confirm that the wheel well can only be accessed from the outside of the plane. This leaves investigators with many questions: how and when did the person get there?
United Airlines has teamed up with authorities to figure out what happened. As of now, we don’t know much more, and the Federal Aviation Administration hasn’t commented yet.
It’s worth noting that stowing away in a wheel well is incredibly dangerous. With freezing temperatures and low oxygen, the chances of survival are slim. However, there have been a few rare cases where people have made it through alive.
For example, last year in Paris, a stowaway was found alive after hiding in the undercarriage of a plane. While the chances are small, some have managed to survive this dangerous journey.
This incident is a reminder of just how risky it can be to try and sneak onto a plane, and the tragic outcome of this particular stowaway is a somber one.
