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2:44
Cargo plane splits in 2 when making an emergency landing at Costa Rica airport
The aircraft reported hydraulic failure 25 minutes after taking off, which is why it had to make an emergency landing.
A cargo plane made an emergency landing this Thursday at the Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José in Costa Rica and when it fell it broke into two parts. It did not leave fatalities, but it did cause the country's most important airport to be closed.
The head of the General Directorate of Firefighters of Costa Rica, Héctor Chaves, indicated that the accident occurred in a Boeing-757, belonging to the German courier company DHL, which left the Costa Rica airport en route to Guatemala, but Due to mechanical failures, it had to return a few minutes after taking off.
The crew that boarded the aircraft (two people), which has Panamanian registration, sent an alert message to the local authorities, stating that they had hydraulic problems and that this had forced them to return to the airport, specifically 25 minutes after takeoff.
At the time of the emergency landing, the plane skidded off the runway and, due to the severity of the fall, broke into two pieces. Neighbors who live near the airport stated that the noise was very loud and "scared them a lot."
According to the firefighters who were at the scene, after the accident the track was filled with a blue liquid and a lot of smoke, due to the loss of hydraulic fluid and overheating of the front wheels due to the difficulties it had to brake.
Despite the strong incident, Chaves assured that there was never a fire in the place, but it was a serious problem and an important emergency for the workers of the place.
For his part, the Red Cross rescuer, Guido Vásquez, informed the media that the crew of the plane, of Guatemalan nationality, presented nervous changes due to the great scare they experienced, they were also taken to the hospital, so that received their respective medical examinations.
Santamaría is the most important airport in all of Costa Rica and is located approximately 25 kilometers from the city of San José. It was closed for more than 5 hours, which generated a delay in more than 30 national and international flights.
Ricardo Hernández, executive director of Aeris, the state company in charge of managing the functions of the airport, indicated that the air terminal service is already working normally, "both for incoming and outgoing flights," said Hernández.
Meanwhile, the authorities of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation of Costa Rica continue to carry out the respective investigations to maintain communications with the civil aeronautics of Panama, where the plane was allegedly from.
