During an emergency landing in Costa Rica, a cargo plane went off the runway and split in half, momentarily closing down an airport but causing no injuries to the crew.
After skidding off the runway and coming to a sudden halt at Costa Rica’s Juan Santa Maria international airport, a DHL plane broke neatly in two.
The airplane skidded down the runway, taxiing, and spinning before coming to a halt, according to a video from the event, which occurred at about 10 a.m. local time on Thursday. As the plane came to a halt, its fuselage seemed to shatter, severing the airplane into two parts: the body and the tail wing.
According to fire department authorities, the Boeing 757-200, operated by freight carrier DHL, took off from the Juan Santamaria international airport just west of San Jose on Thursday morning but returned when pilots noticed a hydraulic system problem.
According to fire department head Héctor Chaves, when the plane attempted to land, it slid, flipped, and split in half, exposing its cargo.
“Units mobilised to remove the pilot and co-pilot,” Mr. Chaves said.
According to a DHL representative, both pilots were uninjured, although one was given a medical check as a precaution.
The event caused the airport to close for many hours, affecting around 8,500 passengers and 57 commercial and cargo planes, according to airport operator Aeris.
According to Luis Miranda, Costa Rica’s deputy director of civil aviation, the jet was only about 55 kilometers from the airport when it asked permission to return from its scheduled journey to Guatemala City.
He stated that the captain and co-pilot were the only crew members on board the plane, which had only roughly two and a half hours of fuel.
A representative for the plane’s maker, Boeing, said queries will be directed to the appropriate authorities.
DHL and airport officials said they were collaborating to relocate the aircraft, but that it was not disrupting operations.
“An investigation will be conducted with the relevant authorities to determine what happened,” DHL said.
