On October 21st the private plane owned by German fitness billionaire Rainer Schaller went missing off of Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. He and his family were traveling from Mexico to the town of Limon, Costa Rica for vacation. The plane reportedly went down just 28 kilometers north of its final destination.
The following day the Costa Rica Coast Guard recovered some debris and two bodies, one an adult and one a minor child. Costa Rica authorities did not release the identity of those found while they continued their search for the plane and the other passengers.
After eleven days the Coast Guard ceased their search efforts. They now believe that strong ocean currents may have carried the plane and the other occupants south into Panamanian territorial waters.
The company Schaller founded, the RSG Group, owner of McFit and Gold’s Gym, has issued a statement confirming that the adult body found was in fact that of Rainer Schaller.
“It is with great dismay that we have received the sad confirmation that our founder Rainer Schaller and his son have been identified as those deceased in the plane crash in Costa Rica. His partner, his daughter, and the pilot, who were also on board, are still missing.“
“At this difficult time, we express our deepest condolences to the families of all those who have perished or are still missing in this accident. Words cannot adequately express our sorrow over these tragic events, nor can they do justice to the sympathy we feel for the families who are missing or have lost a loved one in this accident, but we would like to try anyway.”
Despite not being able to recover the wreckage or the other passengers, Costa Rica Civil Aviation authorities have pledged to continue their investigation into the cause of the crash in conjunction with other organizations
