Watch: Plane splits in two​ after skidding off runway in shocking footage

A DHL cargo plane split in half after making an emergency landing

A DHL cargo jet broke in half after making an emergency landing at Costa Rica’s Juan Santa Maria international airport on Thursday. Footage of the shocking incident has since gone viral on social media.

The Boeing 757-200 cargo aircraft was bound for Guatemala but a failure in its hydraulic system forced it to turn around shortly after takeoff, reports Insider. The pilot requested to turn back and make an emergency landing after travelling about 56 km - a close call for him and his crew as dramatic footage shows the plane splitting in two shortly after landing.

In the video, which was shared on Twitter, the yellow cargo jet made an emergency landing in a field next to the runway. The tail of the aircraft appeared to then detach from the body, splitting the plane in half as it came to a stop.

A much clearer version of the crash landing has emerged!

Source: Unknown#DHL #AvGeek pic.twitter.com/FCYbgFaW0H

— AviationSource (@AvSourceNews) April 7, 2022

The aerial view of the DHL Aero Expreso B757-27APCF aircraft (HP-2010DAE) and tire marks coming from Runway#7 at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) on 7th April.

Credit on the picture.#aircraft #aviation #runway pic.twitter.com/aYg5YcbPsO

— FL360aero (@fl360aero) April 7, 2022

According to The Guardian, the crash led to the airport being closed for about five hours, affecting 57 commercial and cargo flights. Courier package delivery company DHL said that it was working with airport authorities to move the plane.

“DHL’s incident response team has been activated and an investigation will be conducted with the relevant authorities to determine what happened,” DHL said.

No crew member was physically harmed in the Costa Rica accident and an investigation has been launched. Boeing refused to comment on the incident, saying it would defer questions to investigators.

"We are pleased to report that the crew were physically unharmed in the incident. One crew member underwent medical checks as a precaution," a DHL spokesperson told Insider. "We are coordinating with the airport authorities on moving the aircraft from the area near the runway."