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Man steals plane from Costa Rica airport, dies after crashing it in Colombia

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The crash killed the suspect piloting the plane, who Colombian media identified as Juan Carlos Jaramillo, a 44-year-old Colombian national. (Colombian official photo)

The crash killed the suspect piloting the plane, who Colombian media identified as Juan Carlos Jaramillo, a 44-year-old Colombian national. (Colombian official photo)

August 11th, 2015 (ICR News) A single-engine Cessna aircraft was allegedly stolen Sunday afternoon from the airport in Puerto Jimenez in Costa Rica’s southern zone and crashed hours later not far from an airport in the town of Pizarro in Colombia, close to the Colombia-Panama border, according to aviation authorities in Costa Rica and Colombia.

 

The crash killed the suspect piloting the plane, who Colombian media identified as Juan Carlos Jaramillo, a 44-year-old Colombian national.  The man was the only person aboard the aircraft.

 

Colombian authorities said that a significant amount of cash, both in dollars and euros, were inside the plane.  Colombian authorities presume the funds were drug related.

 

According to Costa Rica’s National Registry, the Cessna 172N Skyhawk aircraft was owned by a company called Wopair S.A.

 

The incident is apparently the first time an aircraft has ever been stolen in Costa Rica, according to authorities.

 

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  • SDPUS

    How convenient. He “steals” a plane that happens to be loaded with money and that crashes in Colombia. I wonder who the real owner of that plane is, Wopair S.A.? Next question: was the Colombian “thief” an actual licensed pilot? I bet he was. Final question: when was the plane reported stolen? I bet it was after it had already crashed, and not before. Not the best journalism…

    • http://insidecostarica.com/ Timothy Williams

      We have all the same suspicions, trust me, and we’re working on it. We can only publish qualified information as we obtain it, however. Keep an eye out for updates. We have found that Wopair is controlled by either an Italian or US citizen (it changed hands recently). Give us time. And yes, it was only reported stolen after it crashed. Basically an emergency beacon went off in the aircraft when it crashed, that alerted authorities all the way back here in CR; aviation authorities here had a phone number for the registered pilot; they called the pilot and he said he was still in Jimenez (and allegedly had no idea what was going on), the pilot apparently returned to the airport after being alerted by CR aviation authorities (around 5 hours after the crash) and discovered the plane was missing. That is all we have for now, but we will continue to follow the story.

      • SDPUS

        Thanks for the comprehensive update, Tim.

      • Told you so

        Timothy, you say “We have all the same suspicions” Uhm…, not exactly. Our dear fellow commentator, the duke swallowed the tale whole, hook, line and sinker .! Bless his soul .!

    • zzzzz

      Nailed it.

  • duke ster

    The 1st time an airplane has been stolen in Costa Rica? Well it takes skill and intelligence to fly a plane and those are 2 things I haven’t seen in Costa Rica, so that is probably why it is the 1st time. And even this time it was a Colombian who did the stealing. Every man on the streets of CR knows the Colombian women are smarter than the Ticas and that Colombianas have a head for business, so I guess it stands to reason that the men of Colombia are also brighter.
    But one thing I am happy to see is that a THIEF has been meted out instant justice !!! HOORAY!!!!! HIP HIP HOORAY !!!
    Now can we find a way to kill all thieves instantly?
    Oh wait, if all the thieves and liars in Costa Rica are instantly killed, won’t that leave the population of Costa Rica at around , say 2 or 3 people?

    I mean this is their country and we are just visitors. I have heard that said over and over and over. Even though we are responsible for CR’s improvement financially and we have built many nice properties and put many dollars in the hands of Ticos who have fed their families and of course bought those incredibly expensive cars and trucks they show off daily. WE are just visitors–yeah visitors who have built Costa Rica up up up. When a Costa Rican comes to USA do we constantly remind them that they are just visitors??? Or do we welcome them with open arms and do everything possible to see that they are helped at every turn? Yeah, I guess there is a difference between Ticos and Gringos, YEAH….well then again we have been civilized for many centuries and Ticos have literally just stepped into the world and out from under the jungle leaves. This generation has seen many Costa Ricans learn to drive for the 1st time in their lives.That is why you see so many idiotic drivers passing on blind curves and speeding crazily through mountain roads etc–they are very new at driving –this is a fact!
    I sold appliances here and taught many Ticos how to use the modern washing machine..and that was kind of cool if you know what I mean. I mean literally teaching an entire populace what a modern washing machine is and how to use it–can you imagine? True story. Trying to teach them that lying and stealing is bad, now that is an impossible feat. However I witnessed a church near me–a non denominational Christian church, having Saturday morning gatherings for children where the kids learned to pray and all about God through Jesus and singing Hymns and then playing in the parking lot and getting a hot lunch. These kids will not be among the grown ups who go out and steal and lie and cheat. They are being taught a new way. If you want to experience this in the flesh I suggest you go to Grecia on Saturday morning and search out Mt dE Sion church just a mile or so past the Wallmart –westward.toward Sarchi, on the left.
    I had a great experience there and I had a smile I really could NOT wipe off my face when I brought a few moving boxes full of toys ( stuffed animals) at Christmas time. The kids were told to get in line and that they could have ONE toy. I’ll have to say that it was something I will never forget. WOW did I find happiness that day. Try it !!! Thrift store stuffed animals so cheap but the kids here don’t have these things . There are some used toys in the Americana stores but they are old and dirty and cost a fortune. LIke $8 to $12 for a ratty old stuffed animal.. Way too expensive for these families. If you go back and forth, bring a few boxes of thrift store stuffed animals or dolls and trucks etc. These kids will smile and be so excited to receive them.. You will be rewarded –I mean really rewarded.

    • Mark Washburn

      Such a bitter old man…. Hope you find peace where ever you end up…

      • duke ster

        Such a nice guy to bless us with your intelligent insights Mark, I mean why call another person bitter old man,, doesn’t that show how bitter you are to spend time making such a rude comment? Why do you make a rude comment specifically about another person unless YOU are a bitter old man Mark? Ha ! You are so easy to read. To make general comments about a culture as I did is one thing but to attack a person specifically with rude, mean and evil comments shows your inferior mind frame. Your comment about me finding peace is disingenuous ( disingenuous=not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does) So I won’t return the insult to you, I will take the high road, you stay on whatever road you are on which makes you attack another person who is simply expressing his opinions based on his discoveries of living in particular cultures. ICR allows all of us to make our individual comments and if you discover that others speak their minds on certain subjects which you don’t agree with I suppose you feel you are in such an inferior and troubled state of mind that leads you to attack another with the venom which you harbor and relish in your sick soul. Let it out somewhere else because I and others will go ahead and make all the comments we wish to , while I personally will stick with trying to avoid hurting others with evil comments and attempting to hurt them.

        • Mark Washburn

          I’ve certainly met your type over the years during my time in Costa Rica. My best advice… Go home!! We all know the short comings of Costa Rica as well of that if the States and Canada. Yet…. Having Someone choosing to rail to the negativities then to be part of the solution… One can’t help but opine to such narrow comments and negative pointless views. You certainly have the right to express your thoughts as I do in highlighting your troubled world. True both are just opinions but I’m willing to bet I’m probably not far from the truth. Again…I wish you the best in your “world”

          • duke ster

            Blah Blah –enough asswipe- complain to your mommy

      • duke ster

        Mark and all the rest of you people who haven’t done business in the streets with Ticos, you probably have a nice pension and really don’t have a clue what the Ticos are really like. Well I have dealt with them extensively on a business relationship level and seen them steal from me and my Fiancee’ and lie and cheat over and over and over again. It’s definitely not the same as dealing with people from the USA, believe me. When the red bills were being phased out I saw my sweet Fiancee’ ( she is a Nica) get taken advantage of by the Ticas passing the red bills off to her because she was unaware that the bills were being phased out and were no longer any good. Well the Ticas knew and still spent as many as they could at our business, knowing that we were getting screwed. I have seen them return things months after purchasing them and claiming they just tried the product yesterday for the 1st time and it didn’t work. I could give examples on and on from the cheating at the gas pumps to you name it–any way that they can get over on a Gringo–or each other–they do. Not a good hearted one in the lot of them. Simply the lowest form of vermin. So keep living off of your fat pensions and you will only see the fake smiles in the Feria because I am sure that is the closest most of you have ever been to doing business with the Ticos. Until you open a business and really deal with them will you come to know how they operate and what they think of the Gringo who has GREATLY improved their lives. And keep the low life comments about me to yourselves because I haven’t attacked you-I am speaking my mind and if you don’t like it–don’t read what I have to say. And you want to beat me up with your typed words–real tough guys, I am sure. The real tough guys like yourself fight with a keyboard.

    • zzzzz

      Maybe your problem is that you simply are a turd. I mean your racist unintelligent demeanor. You are a poster child condescending expat prick.
      I don’t hope you find peace, i hope you find a big cork and put in your mouth (proverbially).
      I will start praying intensely now for you to find this cork.
      MMMMHHHMMMM

      • duke ster

        Leave it alone tough old guy-I am sure you can beat me up but probably not with letters over the internet–that is where you are bold.

        • zzzzz

          Nice to see my comment got to you if only a little. I do hope it can contribute to making you a slightly better person.
          Thanks for sharing

    • Told you so

      Holy shaize duke ster…! Puhleeze ! Don’t tell me you swallowed this story about that plane been stolen…such naiveté,LOL!

  • duke ster

    Tough guy huh? God Bless you tough guy.

  • duke ster

    Mr. ZZZ-I am pretty scared by you right now.

  • Told you so

    If you believe that plane was “stolen” I have a great biz proposal for you, Wanna buy the Brooklyn Bridge cheap bro?

  • disqus_r8w0IwvvLw

    Timothy, qualified information…qualified by whom? The CR government?
    We read that all news before being printed must be “approved”by some department or person in the gov. here. Why many of us are so skeptical about some alleged journalist’s story.

    • Told you so

      All news must be approved by the govt in Costa Rica before being printed..? I don’t think that’s the case. Problem is that if something is published that offends the govt or is seen as untrue the media may be sued and it is a criminal offense here, not civil, for which a prison sentence may be handed down.

      • Told you so

        CORRECTION
        Costa Rica eliminates prison terms for defamatioN

        New York, February 12, 2010—The Committee to Protect Journalists today
        called on the Costa Rican legislature to remove criminal defamation
        provisions from its penal code after a recent Supreme Court decision
        eliminated prison terms from its 1902 Printing Press Law.

        Under Costa
        Rica’s Penal Code, anyone who libels,
        slanders, defames, or reproduces offensive statements against someone, even
        public officials, can be fined or placed on an official list of convicted
        criminals, but not imprisoned,

        “We consider the Supreme Court’s decision an important step
        forward toward what we hope will be the total elimination of criminal
        defamation in Costa Rica,”
        said Carlos Lauría, CPJ senior program coordinator for the Americas. “We
        now urge Costa Rica’s
        legislative assembly to eliminate defamation provisions from its Penal Code.”

        Laws that criminalize speech are incompatible with the
        rights established under Article 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights,
        which Costa Rica has
        ratified. As the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights stated in 1994:
        “Considering the consequences of criminal sanctions and the inevitable chilling
        effect they have on freedom of expression, criminalization of speech can only
        apply in those exceptional circumstances when there is an obvious and direct
        threat of lawless violence.”

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