Authorities are investigating the discovery of a dead body in the wheel well of a United Airlines plane after it landed in Maui.
The body was found in the wheel well of one of the main landing gears on flight 202, which arrived at Kahului Airport from Chicago on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT), United said in an emailed statement.
The airline said the wheel well of the Boeing 787-10 was only accessible from the outside of the aircraft, and that it was unclear how or when the person accessed it.
In an emailed statement, the Maui Police Department said it was “actively investigating” the discovery of the dead body.
Neither United nor the Maui Police Department shared further information.
A spokesperson for the department said in an email that it had no additional details beyond what United had confirmed.
Hiding in a plane’s wheel well is the most common method used by stowaways, CNN reported.
The US Federal Aviation Administration said more than 77 per cent do not survive the journey.
That is either due to being crushed by the plane’s landing hear, a lack of oxygen or hypothermia.
