Airport officials discovered a dead body in the wheel well of a flight shortly after it arrived in Maui on Christmas Eve, and an investigation is being conducted by police to find out how it got there.
According to ABC News, the Boeing 787-10 United Airlines aircraft Flight 202 landed at Kahului Airport in Hawaii on Dec. 24 from Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The airline confirmed that in a statement that "a body was found in the wheel well of one of the main landing gears" and that the wheel well is only accessible from the outside of the aircraft.
United added that it was unclear how the deceased accessed the wheel well but did not offer any further details, nor reveal the identity of the individual.
Law enforcement officials said in a statement on Wednesday that "the Maui Police Department is currently conducting an active investigation regarding a deceased individual discovered on an incoming flight from the mainland this afternoon."
United likewise said that the airline would be working with authorities in the ongoing investigation.
The incident hearkens back to a New Year's Day discovery on Jan. 1, 2024, in which the body of a 30-year-old man was found by workers at Salt Lake City International Airport. It was later revealed that the man, Kyler Efinger, had been suffering from bipolar disorder. After breaching an emergency exit, Efinger then crossed the tarmac shoeless and climbed into the engine turbine of an airliner that had been taxing away from the gate.
