On Christmas Eve, a United Airlines flight landing in Maui, Hawaii, had an unexpected and grim discovery. A deceased body was found in the wheel well of the aircraft, a Boeing 787-10, after it had completed its journey from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. The flight, numbered 202, had departed at approximately 9:49 a.m. and touched down at Kahului Airport around 2:12 p.m., as per the airline and FlightAware data.
The body was found in the landing gear wheel well, a location that can only be accessed externally. United Airlines confirmed this information but could not immediately provide an explanation for the unsettling find. Local news sources in Hawaii reported that the deceased individual was male.
The airline is currently unclear on how or when the individual managed to access the wheel well. United Airlines is actively cooperating with law enforcement agencies investigating the incident. The Maui Police Department also confirmed that they are conducting an ongoing investigation into the matter.
Despite the shocking discovery, the airport continued its operations as usual. State officials confirmed that the incident did not impact other flights. The Maui Police Department, in a statement, said that no further details were available at the moment.
In unrelated news, American Airlines experienced a temporary grounding of all its flights due to technical issues on the same day. The issue was resolved a few hours later, but not before causing nearly 900 flight delays across the country, as reported by FlightAware.