QCOSTARICA — An investigation has uncovered that the DHL Express Boeing 757-200 that crashed on the runway at the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) or San Jose airport, in Costa Rica, in April 2022 was a result of a hydraulic failure.
The Boeing 757 Freighter, traveling to Guatemala from Costa Rica, experienced an issue with the hydraulics in the left landing gear, causing the aircraft to skid off the runway and break in two.
Read more: DHL to investigate Costa Rica cargo plane crash
The aircraft, which was identified as HP-2010DA, was 22.3 years old when the accident occurred. It first entered service with Far Eastern Air Transport in December 1999.
DHL commented on the accident at the time, saying the following to AirCargoNews.net: “We can confirm that a DHL de Guatemala SA B757-200F flight JOS2716 sustained damage upon landing at Juan Santamaria airport in Costa Rica,” said DHL.
“We are pleased to report that the crew was physically unharmed in the incident. One crew member underwent medical checks as a precaution.
“We are coordinating with the airport authorities on moving the aircraft from the area near the runway. However, the runway has reopened and operations have now resumed at the airport.
“DHL’s incident response team has been activated and an investigation will be conducted with the relevant authorities to determine what happened. Until then, we are unable to share any further information.”
The aircraft was subsequently written off as a result of the crash, making it the 12th hull loss of the Boeing 757.
In December last, the remains of the fuselage were preserved by the airport as a practice aid for firefighters at its current location next to the newly built airport fire station.
