San José, Costa Rica—A twin-engine charter aircraft crashed into a densely wooded area just three hundred meters short of the regional runway this afternoon, killing five occupants and injuring two others. The light aircraft was transporting foreign tourists from an eco-lodge when it suddenly lost altitude during its final approach. Emergency responders struggled through thick undergrowth for forty minutes to reach the burning fuselage.

Air traffic control logs indicate the pilot issued a brief, distorted distress call indicating a sudden loss of propulsion in the left engine. Weather conditions at the time included moderate crosswinds and intermittent low-lying cloud cover. The aircraft, operated by a local regional charter outfit, plummeted into the canopy before ground crews could activate runway emergency markers.

Rescuers confirmed that four passengers and the primary pilot died upon impact from severe structural trauma. Two surviving passengers were pulled from the rear section of the cabin with multiple compound fractures and third-degree burns. Paramedics stabilized the survivors at the airfield before a police helicopter transferred them to a trauma unit in the capital.

Civil aviation investigators cordoned off the crash zone to preserve the instrumentation panels and structural fragments. The aircraft had undergone a scheduled airworthiness inspection earlier this month, according to company records seized by federal authorities. Investigators are focusing their attention on the fuel delivery system to determine if fuel contamination or pump failure caused the sudden engine flameout.

The tourism ministry released a brief statement confirming the nationalities of the victims are being withheld until consular offices can notify their respective families. The charter route is heavily utilized by international visitors looking to bypass the rugged terrain of the coastal highways.

Eyewitnesses near the airfield perimeter reported seeing the plane tilt sharply to one side before dropping below the tree line. A loud metallic impact was followed by a plume of white smoke, though a full post-crash fire was localized to the forward engine compartment. Ground teams utilized portable fire extinguishers to suppress the remaining hotspots.

The air charter company has suspended all remaining flights for the next forty-eight hours to facilitate an immediate safety review of its small fleet. The operator has faced minor regulatory fines in the past for administrative logging omissions, but possessed a clean operational safety record.

National safety teams are currently searching for the cockpit voice recorder, which is not mandatory for this class of light aircraft but was installed as an aftermarket safety upgrade by the owner. Recovering this unit remains a priority before seasonal rains wash out the muddy hillside site.

The airfield remains closed to all non-emergency incoming traffic while heavy recovery machinery is positioned along the perimeter. Crews expect the extraction of the main wreckage to take at least two days due to the lack of direct road access.