He added that an investigation had been instituted to determine the cause of the incident.
Mr McGrath further said both pilots were unharmed but one underwent a medical check-up as a precaution.
Luis Miranda, deputy director of civil aviation for Costa Rica, said the plane had traveled only about 35 miles from the airport when it asked permission to return.
He said the jet took about two-and-a-half hours to refuel and only the pilot and co-pilot were on board. It is not yet clear what was in the charge.
More: Transport
Airport personnel said the accident would keep the airport closed until at least 6 p.m., with some incoming flights diverting to Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, which is about 125 kilometers northwest of San Jose.
George Parker, who lives just a few hundred yards from the crash site at the former U.S. Air Force base, said: ‘I saw the pilot descend into a nearby field when the plane crashed into a block of newly built flats.
“Fortunately, no one has moved in yet.”
DHL is a subsidiary of Deutsche Post DHL Group.
Video footage shows the moment a freighter slipped off the track and snapped in half while turning into smoke.
DHL’s cargo plane landed at San Jose International Airport in Costa Rica yesterday when the incident occurred.
The airport was closed out of precaution, but no crew were injured as a result of the accident.
Hector Chaves, director of the Costa Rica Fire Department, explained how on landing the plane tore, spun and broke in two, exposing its cargo.
“Units mobilized to remove the pilot and co-pilot,” he said.
“Then they applied foam to prevent leakage and now they are working on a dirt road to prevent fuel from entering the drainage system.”
The Boeing 757 was initially removed from Juan Santamaria Airport just west of the capital to fly to Guatemala City, but decided to return after discovering a failure in the hydraulic system.
DHL spokesman Daniel McGrath said at the time that the company was working with airport staff to relocate the aircraft so the flights could resume.
He added that an investigation had been instituted to determine the cause of the incident.
Mr McGrath further said both pilots were unharmed but one underwent a medical check-up as a precaution.
Luis Miranda, deputy director of civil aviation for Costa Rica, said the plane had traveled only about 35 miles from the airport when it asked permission to return.
He said the jet took about two-and-a-half hours to refuel and only the pilot and co-pilot were on board. It is not yet clear what was in the charge.
More: Transport
Airport personnel said the accident would keep the airport closed until at least 6 p.m., with some incoming flights diverting to Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, which is about 125 kilometers northwest of San Jose.
George Parker, who lives just a few hundred yards from the crash site at the former U.S. Air Force base, said: ‘I saw the pilot descend into a nearby field when the plane crashed into a block of newly built flats.
“Fortunately, no one has moved in yet.”
DHL is a subsidiary of Deutsche Post DHL Group.
