Puerto Limón

The airplane departed Palenque Airport, Chiapas, on a private flight to Puerto Limón, Costa Rica. While on approach at an altitude of about 2,000 feet at night, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed into the sea some 28 km southeast of the destination airport. The accident occurred three minutes prior to ETA. Few debris and two dead bodies were found two days later. On board were the German businessman Rainer Schaller, founder of the fitness chain 'McFit', his wife, two children and a friend.

The aircraft was completing a flight from Buenos Aires to the US with intermediate stops at Howard AFB and San Salvador, carrying 60 cadets of the Argentinian Air Force and nine crew members. After his departure from Howard AFB, while overflying the Caribbean Sea along the Costa Rican coast, the captain reported to ATC that the engine number three was on fire and elected to divert to the nearest airport. This was the last radio contact with the crew as shortly later, the four engine aircraft crashed into the sea off Puerto Limón. Few life vest and debris were found floating on water and none of the 69 occupants survived.

On final approach to San José Airport, the aircraft was too low and hit the slope of a hill few km short of runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and all 23 occupants were killed.

The aircraft departed Mexico City on a non stop flight to Buenos Aires with two crew members on board. While flying along the east coast of Costa Rica, the crew encountered poor weather conditions when the airplane crashed in the sea off Puerto Limón. SAR operations were initiated and some debris were found three weeks later on local beaches. No trace of both crew members was ever found.
Crew:
Col Pablo Sídar Escobar, pilot,
Lt Carlos Rovirosa Pérez.