DHL De Guatemala Flight 7216
Accident
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The flight took off at 9:34 am local time (UTC−6:00) from Juan Santamaría International Airport to La Aurora International Airport to deliver cargo. However, while flying over the Costa Rican town of Mueller San Carlos (or the Parque Nacional Juan Castro Blanco, it is unclear), the aircraft declared an emergency due to hydraulic problems, for which it made the decision to return to the air terminal, after holding a pattern to burn fuel, and touched down at 10:25 am (local time).
According to videos recorded from the airport, the aircraft rolled on the runway after touch-down. It then veered over 90 degrees to the right on taxiway Kilo, crashing into a ditch in front of the Costa Rica airport fire station and breaking apart. Neither pilot was physically injured, but one pilot underwent medical checks as a precaution.
Aircraft and crew
The aircraft involved was a 22-year-old Boeing 757-27AF registered HP-2010DAE, with serial number 29610 and line number 904, delivered to DHL Aero Expreso in November 2010. The aircraft was first delivered to Far Eastern Air Transport in December 1999 as a passenger aircraft. The aircraft was leased to EVA Air from May 2002 to January 2004 before returning to Far Eastern Air Transport. The aircraft was withdrawn from service and later converted into a freighter aircraft in October 2010.
The captain, age 58, had logged 16,381 flight hours, including 6,233 hours on the Boeing 757. The first officer, age 43, had 10,545 flight hours with 2,337 of them on the Boeing 757.
Aftermath
The aircraft was subsequently written off as a result of the crash, making it the 12th hull loss of the Boeing 757. In December, the remains of the fuselage were preserved by the airport as a practice aid for fire fighters.
References
- ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 757-27A (PCF) HP-2010DAE San José (SJO)". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ "HP-2010DAE DHL Aero Expreso Boeing 757-27A(PCF)". PlaneSpotters.net. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ "INFORME FINAL: Accidente ocurrido el 07 de abril del 2022 en el aeropuerto internacional Juan Santamaría (MROC) en el cantón Central de la provincia de Alajuela, Costa Rica; operación comercial de transporte de carga del explotador DHL de Guatemala S.A. con aeronave Boeing 757-200 matrícula HP2010DAE" [FINAL REPORT: Accident occurred on April 7, 2022 at the Juan Santamaría International Airport (MROC) in the Central canton of the province of Alajuela, Costa Rica; commercial cargo transportation operation of the operator DHL de Guatemala S.A. with Boeing 757-200 aircraft registration HP2010DAE.] (PDF) (in Spanish). Accident and Incident Unit, Civil Aviation Technical Council. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ Hradecky, Simon (7 April 2022). "Accident: DHL B752 at San Jose on Apr 7th 2022, hydraulic failure results in runway excursion". avherald.com. The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
