Minor accident at Costa Rica airport as plane from El Salvador skids across runway

TACA airlines flight 621 from El Salvador was carrying 146 passengers and seven crew members when it skidded across the runway at Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría International Airport, outside San José. The incident occurred at 4 p.m. Thursday, and there have been no reports of injuries.

The plane, an Airbus 321, had trouble touching down when three of its tires burst, although pilots managed to keep the aircraft on the runway until it stopped, airport authorities reported.

Héctor Chaves, chief of Costa Rica’s Fire Department, said the airport was closed for at least two hours to evacuate passengers, and all flights were suspended during that time.

Capt. Alex Romero, from the Air Surveillance Department at the Public Security Ministry, said that a wet runway caused problems when the tires hit the pavement.