DHL Cargo B757 Breaks In Two

USPA NEWS - A DHL Boeing 757-200 cargo plane split in two after sliding off the runway during an emergency landing at the Juan Santamaria International Airport, in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The dramatic situation unfolded on Thursday, April 7th, 2022, shortly after the flight departed the Juan Santamaria International Airport bound for Guatemala. After traveling approximately 35 miles from the airport the pilot requested permission to return to the airport after detecting a hydraulic system failure. The pilot indicated that there were two crew members onboard, and there was two and a half hours of fuel.

Hector Chaves, director of the Costa Rica  Fire Department, said, "Upon landing the aircraft skidded, turned and broke in two, exposing its cargo. Units mobilized to remove the pilot and co-pilot. Then they applied foam to prevent a spill and now they are working on an earthen dike to avoid any fuel from reaching the drainage system."

The pilot and co-pilot were not injured, but out of an abundance of caution both were examined by medical officials .

The airport administration advised that the airport would remain closed to all traffic until at least 6 p.m. and that most flights would be diverted to the Daniel Oduber International Airport(LIR) in Liberia which is about 125 miles northwest of San Jose.

Daniel McGrath, a spokesperson for DHL said, "DHL's incident response team has been activated and an investigation will be conducted with the relevant authorities to determine what happened." He also said, "The company was working with airport authorities to move the plane so flights could resume as soon as possible."