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

Flight operator United Airlines said the area of the Boeing 787-10 was only accessible from the outside of the aircraft, adding that it was unclear how the deceased individual had gained access.

What we know so far

The body was found in one of the compartments housing the airplane’s landing gear after United Flight 202 from Chicago O’Hare International Airport landed at Kahului Airport.

“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 said.

The Maui Police Department said it was “actively investigating” the grim discovery, but shared no further information.

Stowaways sometimes hide in the unpressurized wheel-houses of planes, or inside cargo holds, and can face temperatures of between minus 50 degrees and minus 60 degrees Celsius (minus 58 and minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit).

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

Last year, a stowaway was discovered in the undercarriage bay of an Algerian carrier’s aircraft in Paris.

A person was also discovered alive in the wheel section of a Cargolux freight plane at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, which had traveled from South Africa via Kenya.

rc/rm (AP, Reuters)

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