Terrifying discovery: body in the landing gear bay of an airplane

Maui - A frightening discovery in an airplane in the US state of Hawaii on Christmas Eve raises some questions. After landing, a lifeless body was found in the landing gear bay. Investigators are now trying to find out what happened.

The flight went smoothly, but it was only on landing that the terrible discovery was made. (symbolic image)
The flight went smoothly, but it was only on landing that the terrible discovery was made. (symbolic image)  © Tannen Maury/EPA/dpa

Last Tuesday, the body was discovered on a United Airlines plane flying from Chicago to Maui, as reported byCNN.

"The landing gear bay was only accessible from outside the aircraft. It is currently unclear how or when the person gained access to the landing gear bay," United Airlines said of the incident.

The local police are now investigating the incident and trying to find out what the tragic discovery is all about.

One assumption is that the person wanted to hide in the wheel well in order to fly along as a stowaway. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, 77 percent of all people who have attempted to fly illegally in an airplane have died.

Many are crushed when the landing gear retracts or risk frostbite and hypothermia as the flight progresses. As the altitude increases, the oxygen content decreases and the temperature can drop dramatically.