A DHL cargo plane broke a few meters after landing on 7 April in San Jose, Costa Rica. The Boeing 757-27 was operating the flight between Costa Rica and Guatemala City, in Guatemala.
1. Emergency landing
Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaria International Airport was closed after the accident involving the Boeing 757-200 cargo aircraft, which saw the pilot and co-pilot evacuated unharmed after an emergency landing. DHL, which is owned by Deutsche Post AG, said that “one crew member was undergoing medical checks as a precaution.”
According to aviation24, the plane took off from San Jose towards northern Guatemala, but the pilots decided to return to Juan Santamaria airport. A few meters after landing, the aircraft broke apart.
Hace pocos minutos en el aeropuerto internacional Juan Santamaría (Costa Rica), un Boeing 757 Carguero de #DHL aterrizó de emergencia. Último reporte entre pilotos y torre de control, indica fallo en el sistema hidráulico. pic.twitter.com/k4E0YCKM61
— Aviación Guayaquil (@AviacionGYE) April 7, 2022
2. Crisis management
Héctor Chaves, director of the Costa Rica Fire Department, said that after landing the aircraft sideslipped, turned 180 degrees and cracked in two.
Units mobilised 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.
Héctor Chaves, director of the Costa Rica Fire Department
ÚLTIMO MINUTO: Alerta 4A (accidente aéreo) declarado en el Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría. Terminal aérea cerrada; Bomberos en lugar y más unidades en camino. pic.twitter.com/3rbgphjwYm
— Delfino.CR (@delfinocrc) April 7, 2022
Communications between the pilots and the control tower report that the plane suffered a hydraulic problem, causing the destruction of a part of it.
After the incident, the airport remained closed, affecting 32 flights. According to the airport operator Aeris, the company’s subsidiary, the crash impacted 57 commercial and cargo flights to and from the United States, Central America, Mexico, Canada and Europe, and an additional 8,500 passengers.
DHL’s incident response team has been activated and an investigation will be conducted with the relevant authorities to determine what happened.
DLH told Air Cargo News
