American family of five is among 10 US citizens killed after their sightseeing plane crashed in Costa Rica mountains
- The plane came down in the Guanacaste, northwest Costa Rica with 12 on board
- Ten victims have been confirmed to be Americans, according to local officials
- Bruce Steinberg, Irene Steinberg, Matthew Steinberg, William Steinberg and Zachary Steinberg were the first victims of crash to be identified
- Local officials identified pilot as Juan Manuel Retana & said he was experienced
- Public Safety Ministry posted photographs and video of the crash site Sunday
The plane that crashed in a wooded area in Costa Rica on Sunday was transporting 10 US citizens and two local crewmembers, Costa Rica's government has confirmed.
Local media reports said five of the foreigners were identified as Bruce Steinberg, Irene Steinberg, Matthew Steinberg, William Steinberg and Zachary Steinberg, Diario Las Americos reported.
The Steinberg family was reportedly from Scarsdale in Westchester County, New York.
Tamara Jacobson, Bruce's sister, wrote on Facebook: 'We are in utter shock and disbelief right now.'
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Costa Rica's government said a plane with 10 Americans, including a family of five, and two local pilots crashed in a wooded area. Local media identified one family as Bruce Steinberg, Irene Steinberg, Matthew Steinberg, William Steinberg and Zachary Steinberg (all pictured)
The Public Safety Ministry posted video of the crash site showing burning wreckage
The aircraft belonged to Nature Air and crashed in Guanacaste, northwest Costa Rica
The other victims were identified by local media as Mitchell Weiss, Leslie Levin Weiss, and their daughter Hanna Mae Weiss, Amanda Rae Geissler and Gene Wing Szeto.
At a news conference, Enio Cubillo, director of Costa Rica Civil Aviation, said the Nature Air charter flight took off just after noon Sunday from Punta Islita and was headed for the capital of San Jose when it crashed.
Cubillo said the same plane had arrived in Punta Islita on Sunday morning from San Jose and was delayed in landing by strong winds. The plane had passed a safety inspection about a month ago and was authorized to fly, Cubillo added.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Cubillo also identified the pilot as Juan Manuel Retana and described him as very experienced. The co-pilot was identified as Emma Ramos.
He said the tourists traveling in the aircraft were staying in a nearby hotel
Laura Chinchilla, who was president of Costa Rica from 2010 to 2014, said on Twitter that Retana was her cousin.
'A death has interrupted our family celebration. Our beloved cousin died as part of the crew of the plane that crashed in Guanacaste. Courage to his children and siblings and may he rest in peace,' she wrote in the tweet.
'You will stay in our hearts dear #Juanmanuel Retana,' Chinchilla added.
Officials said the plane was heading to the Juan Santamaria International Airport in Alajuela, Costa Rica, when it crashed around 12.16pm local time.
It crashed in the mountainous area of Punta Islita, which is popular with tourists, in the province of Guanacaste, about 140 miles west of the capital of San Jose.
Photos of the crash site, showed flaming wreckage strewn across the terrain.
The private plane, that belonged to Nature Air, was a single-propellor Cessna 208 Caravan officials said.
Nature Air said in a statement that it lamented the accident, without explaining the cause.
The flight was part of a special charter service for 20 people, relying on two planes. The first plane, carrying 10 passengers, arrived safely in San Jose at 11.40am. The second, with 10 passengers and two pilots, departed 20 minutes later.
'Regrettably this plane crashed a few minutes after taking off,' Nature Air said.
According to Nature Air's website, the airline is based in San José.
It is the largest private charter operator in Central America and became the world's first carbon neutral airline in 2004.
The plane came down in a forest soon after taking off
Laura Chinchilla, who was president of Costa Rica from 2010 to 2014, said on Twitter that her cousin, Juan Manuel Retana, one of the crew members, had died in the accident (pictured)
The reason for the crash is unknown. The aircraft, a single-propellor Cessna 208 Caravan, came down in a mountainous area near the Pacific coastal beach town of Punta Islita
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