U.S. citizen, Randall Lindner, who was also a resident of Costa Rica, was the second person to die in an airplane accident this morning, Tuesday, September 5, in the western San José, Costa Rica district of Pavas.

His death was registered at the San José Calderón Guardia Hospital this afternoon, said the Costa Rican Social Security Agency (CCSS) which runs the country’s national hospital and clinic network.

Of the six adults aboard the Cessna – five passengers and one pilot – two have died. The plane, belonging to Aerobell, was operated by Nature Air on a planned route to Tambor beach via Liberia, in Guanacaste province. The plane crashed only minutes after taking off.

“The American died, he was multi-traumatized, and had several injuries all over his body, he was in very delicate condition,” confirmed the Calderón Guardia press office.

Cristian Méndez, pilot of the aircraft, was being operated on at the same hospital this afternoon, and was also reported to be in delicate condition, with no predictions on his possible outcome forthcoming from the hospital press office.

María Elena Umaña, a Costa Rican woman, died during the crash as the result of a heart attack, said the Red Cross.

An estimated 60 rescue workers were helping at the scene of the crash, which occurred about a kilometer from the airport in a densely inhabited area, according to William Hernandez, chief of operations of the Costa Rican Fire Department.

No further details are available as to the medical condition of Keith Putbrese, a second U.S. passenger, nor regarding Esteban Cubero and Alejandro Cardona, both Costa Rican passengers, all of whom are also hospitalized at different medical centers in the capital city.

The accident could have been much worse, said Víctor Hernández, aeronautical engineer of Technological Institute of Costa Rica, in an interview with Columbia Radio 98.7 FM, who said the pilot’s move to land in the Torres River potentially saved many lives.

The densely populated area surrounding the Pavas airport is no easy feat to maneuver in the presence of a mechanical failure, which may have been responsible for the crash, and Hernández said pilots before taking off must review scenarios for safe landings in the event of such possibilities.

Pilot Cristian Méndez’ river landing avoided damage to any of the homes, buildings and businesses which surround the airport, which could have caused an accident of much larger dimensions and more casualties, explained Hernández.