DHL CARGO PLANE SKIDS OFF RUNWAY. BREAKS IN HALF DURING EMERGENCY LANDING IN COSTA RICA
0DHL cargo plane skids off runway. breaks in half during emergency landing in Costa Rica
A cargo plane slid off a runway and broke in half during an emergency landing in Costa Rica. temporarily shutting down an airport but not injuring any crew. Fire department officials said the Boeing 757 200. operated by cargo carrier DHL. took off from the Juan Santamaría international airport just west of the capital San Jose on Thursday morning but returned after pilots detected a failure in its hydraulic system. As the plane attempted to land it skidded. turned and broke in two. exposing its cargo. fire department director Héctor Chaves said. 'Units mobilised to remove the pilot and co pilot.' Mr Chaves said. A spokesman for DHL said both pilots were unharmed but one underwent a medical check as a precaution. The incident closed the airport for several hours. with some 8.500 passengers and 57 commercial and cargo flights affected. airport operator Aeris said. Luis Miranda. deputy director of civil aviation for Costa Rica. said the plane had gone only about 55 kilometres from the airport when it requested permission to turn back from its planned flight to Guatemala City. He said the pilot and co pilot were the only crew members aboard the plane. which was carrying only about two and a half hours' worth of fuel. A spokesperson for the plane's manufacturer Boeing said they would defer questions to investigating authorities. DHL and airport authorities said they were working together to move the aircraft. although they said it was not affecting operations. 'An investigation will be conducted with the relevant authorities to determine what happened.' DHL said. AP/Reuters
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