U.S. aviation investigators are en route to the Costa Rican capital of San José this weekend to investigate why a DHL Express Boeing 757-200 freighter skidded off the runway on Thursday morning and broke in half before careening to a stop.
The aircraft bound for Guatemala City had just taken off when the two-person crew notified air traffic control of mechanical problems and requested to make an emergency return landing at Juan Santamaria International Airport. After touchdown, the plane veered to the right and spun around, according to video posts. As the plane spun, the fuselage broke in two.
Neither crewmember was injured. The airport was temporarily closed after the accident. Published reports said that 57 flights were affected. Regular operations resumed at 3:30 p.m. local time, according to published reports.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is involved in the investigation under an international treaty allowing participation by the country where the plane was manufactured.
DHL Express is a unit of German transportation and logistics giant Deutsche Post DHL (OTCUS: DPSGY).