American, Costa Rican die in small plane crash

An American man and a Costa Rican woman have died when the small plane they were taking to Costa Rica's northwestern coast plunged to the ground shortly after takeoff, officials said.
Four other people survived the crash just outside the capital San Jose: an American and two Costa Ricans who were passengers; and the Costa Rican pilot yesterday.
They were in hospital in stable condition.
The national civil aviation authority opened an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
The American man killed was aged 70 and was also a naturalized citizen of Costa Rica, officials said. He died of his injuries after being taken to Calderon Guardia hospital in the capital.

The Costa Rican woman who died was aged 40. Her body was recovered from the plane, which ended up in a river bed at the bottom of a ravine.
The light aircraft had been heading from San Jose to Tamarindo, a town popular with tourists and American retirees.