Four people taken to hospital after Avianca flight makes rapid descent during Costa Rica-Colombia route

Three crew members and one passenger were taken to the hospital for further testing Thursday after Avianca 693 made a rapid descent while operating a route between Costa Rica and Bogotá, Colombia.

In a statement to The Tico Times, Avianca said the flight — which had departed Juan Santamaría International Airport near San José, Costa Rica — was rerouted to Panama City after the captain “identified an alert in one of the plane’s systems.”

Avianca 693 landed without further incident in Panama City at 4:31 a.m.

“Since during the flight there was an abrupt movement of the aircraft, on arrival some passengers and crew were referred to airport health authorities,” the Avianca statement read. “As a result of that initial review, a passenger and three crew members are being transferred to the hospital for a detailed medical evaluation.”

The Airbus A319 was carrying 108 passengers and five crew members, according to the airline. It had departed Costa Rica on-schedule at 1:45 a.m.

The majority of the passengers were rebooked onto Avianca flight 59, which will operate from Panama City to Bogotá later this morning.