Hawaii [US], December 26: A body was found inside the wheel well of a United Airlines plane after it landed at Maui airport in the US state of Hawaii on Christmas Eve (December 24).
The problem in the aircraft landing gear compartment happened to flight UA 202 departing from Chicago (Illinois, USA) at 9:50 a.m. on December 24 and arriving in Maui ( Hawaii ) at 2:00 p.m. local time the same day, according to CBS News on December 25.
A body was found in the landing gear compartment of a Boeing 787-10, the only area accessible from outside the plane.
"When the flight landed at Maui's Kahului Airport, a body was found inside the wheel well of one of the main landing gears of the United aircraft," United Airlines said on December 25, adding that the airline was cooperating with authorities investigating the incident.
The airline also said it was unclear how or when the person entered the cockpit.
"The Maui Police Department is investigating a deceased person found on a flight from the mainland this afternoon. At this time, we have no information to provide," Hawaii News Now quoted the local police force as saying.
The incident occurred during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year when millions of people use air services during the holiday season.
The US Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) estimates it will screen up to 40 million passengers during the Christmas week through January 2, 2025.
Airlines in the US are expected to experience their busiest days on December 26, 27, and 28.
Also on December 24, American Airlines abruptly halted flights nationwide for a short period of time due to a technical issue. The resulting delays occurred across major US air hubs, with only 36% of 3,901 domestic and international flights departing on time, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. In addition, 51 flights were canceled.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
