Flight instructor and student survive Costa Rica plane crash

A pilot and a flight student survived a crash Wednesday morning with minor injuries after falling into a canyon filled with thick vegetation in west San José. They managed to walk out of the stricken plane after the landing, authorities said.

The two-seater Cessna 152 model had taken off from Tobías Bolaños International Airport in Pavas, just west of the capital, when instructor Rogelio Navas “declared an emergency and signaled that he was going to try to return to the airport. In that moment, air traffic controllers lost contact with them,” said Jorge Fernández, Civil Aviation director.

Despite strong winds, the pilot managed a controlled glide, without the engine, and positioned the plane near the bottom of the canyon, Fernández said.