A cargo plane for mail and parcels had a strange accident when it broke into two parts during an emergency landing on the runway at Juan Santamaria Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, on Thursday.
The accident did not result in casualties, as announced by the authorities, who indicated at the same time that it led to the temporary closure of the airport.
“The two people, who were on the plane, are in good health,” said Hector Chavez, head of the Costa Rican Fire Department, according to AFP.
Red Cross rescuer Guido Vasquez said the two men who make up the crew are Guatemalan nationals, noting that they were taken to hospital for tests as a precaution.
For his part, the director of operations and security at the public company “Iris”, which operates San Jose airport, Julian Billiard, said that the captain of the Boeing-757 plane belonging to the German “DHL” group reported a problem with the hydraulic system and requested the return of the plane after 25 minutes. On taking off from this airport, heading to Guatemala, according to Agence France-Presse.
During the emergency landing just before 4:30 pm GMT, the plane skidded, skidded off the runway and split in two.
The accident led to a complete halt to operations at Juan Santamaria Airport, the largest in the country, for about 5½ hours, affecting nearly 100 flights and 8,500 passengers.
Airport traffic returned to normal for “arrivals and departures”, according to Iris’ general manager, Ricardo Hernandez.