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Photos: Cargo jet splits in half after skidding off runway

A cargo jet that spun off lays broken on the runway of the Juan Santamaria International Airport in Alajuela, Costa Rica, Thursday, April 7, 2022. According to the fire department, both the pilot and the co-pilot are reported in good health, and accident caused the total closure of the air terminal. (AP Photo/Carlos Gonzalez)

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — A DHL cargo jet has broken in half after sliding off the runway while landing at San Jose’s international airport.

The crash Thursday shut down the airport, but the two crewmen aboard were reported uninjured.


The fire department says the Boeing 757 had taken off from Juan Santamaría Airport just west of the capital but decided to return after detecting a failure in the hydraulic system. Officials say that upon landing the aircraft skidded, turned and broke in two, exposing its cargo.

A spokesman for cargo carrier DHL says both pilots were unharmed but one was being undergoing a medical check as a precaution.