What was the reason that the aircraft suddenly fell after a relatively normal flight? Where are the people who were traveling in it? Who do the two recovered bodies belong to?
The Costa Rican authorities still do not have an answer to these questions related to the fall of a private turboprop plane last Friday, October 21st over Caribbean waters. A family of five members and the pilot were traveling in it.
Despite the operations of the Costa Rican police forces and communication with the authorities of Panama and the United States, the country has still not been able to resolve some of the core issues of this tragedy.
Friday the 28th marked a week. The search in the area continues, journalists from all over the world focus on Costa Rica and the investigations around this case begin to involve different countries.
The Minister of Security, Jorge Torres, acknowledges that they have the mission of returning the body to their relatives. However, he appreciates a possible reduction of the personnel in charge of this task while he himself visits the area.
A regular flight
Sources consulted explained that the flight from the Palenque Airport, in Mexico, went normally, until the moment the aircraft began to plummet. This is how it can be seen in the route made by the turboprop type aircraft, according to the Flightradar application.
The Ministry of Public Security (MSP) in Costa Rica reported that the 66-year-old pilot did not issue any alert before the fall. Due to this, doubt persists about the reason for the accident of this aircraft: luxurious, expensive, equipped, designed for short flights and efficient.
“We as pilots are always wondering what might have happened. A pilot with all the implements, complying with the regulations, an easy route from Veracruz to Limón. “900 miles on a good route for a Turboprop, but it is a complete unknown: What happened? The weather was not so bad either and the speed was reduced but there was a dive, in seconds”, commented the pilot with more than 25 years of experience Everardo Carmona.
Search is kept
After losing contact with the tower, the rescue and police forces of Costa Rica began the search for the aircraft. Some of his remains were found. They also found two bodies, which the Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ) remains unidentified.
Since the operation began, a week ago, it has been searched through different techniques, with no results so far. Torres explained that the point they are looking for is a normal patrol.
The number of people in the search work has decreased over the days. It started with 60, went down to 50 and later it was announced that 25 would arrive. For now, the existence of a black box isnot found, which further complicates the investigation work, since it is in this device that the last records of the aircraft are kept.
Family on board
The German millionaire and founder of the McFit gym chain, Rainer Schaller with his girlfriend, Christiane Schikorsky, and their children Aaron and Finja, as well as another person identified as Marcus Kurreck and the pilot were traveling in this unit.
A McFit spokeswoman, Jeanine Minaty, confirmed to the German media ‘Bild’ that Schaller, her partner and their children were traveling on the plane. “We don’t know anything else at the moment,” he said.
On Saturday morning, the discovery of the first two bodies, whose identities have not transpired, was reported. Meanwhile, the Security chief informed that next week the father of the woman who was traveling on the plane will arrive in Costa Rica: Christiane Schikorsky. “If you want to go to the point for a symbolic issue, we are going to support,” he said by telephone this past Friday morning, during a visit to the site of the tragedy.
On the other hand, Torres reported that, a week after the tragedy, two officers from the German Police will arrive, who may exchange information with the Judiciary and about the bodies that have been retrieved from this emergency.
The investigation is in charge of the National Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAV) and the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) in relation to the bodies that are recovered.
According to the director general of Civil Aviation, Fernando Naranjo, now a team made up of representatives of the DGAV and representatives of Germany will prepare a report on the findings and the possibility of continuing or not with the investigation.
