1973 Sólheimasandur Douglas C-117D crash

1973 aviation accident in Iceland 1973 Sólheimasandur Douglas C-117D crash Accident A broken plane on the floor (Unsplash).jpg Wreckage of the aircraft in 2015 1973 11 21 y Icing conditions Near Sólheimasandur 63 27 32.70 N 19 21 53.37 W type:event inline,title 17171 Douglas C-117D Dakota msn 43309 Mildenhall 171.jpg 17171, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in 1972 Douglas C-117D United States Navy 17171 Hornafjörður Airport (HFN/BIHN), Iceland Naval Air Station Keflavik 7 0 7 On 21 November 1973, a Douglas C-117D transport aircraft operated by the United States Navy crashed onto Sólheimasandur is sandy beachline in southern Iceland during severe icing conditions. All seven crewmembers on board survived the accident, and the aircraft was written off. The main fuselage wreckage has remained relatively intact since the accident, leading to the crash site becoming a tourist destination. Accident The aircraft involved in the accident was flying from Hofn Hornafjördur Airport to Naval Air Station Keflavik, after delivering supplies for the radar station at Stokksnes. En route the aircraft encountered severe icing and the crew were forced to land on a frozen river at Sólheimasandur. All seven crew members survived and were rescued by helicopter, but the aircraft was written off ('surveyed' in US Navy parlance). The unsalvaged remains of the aircraft were left at the scene.https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19731121-0 ASN Aircraft accident Douglas R4D-8 (Super DC-3) 17171 Sólheimasandur Ranter Harro aviation-safety.net 2020-01-18 The pilot's recollections In an interview with Morgunblaðið in 2025 Gregory Fletcher, the pilot who crash-landed a Douglas R4D/C-117D aircraft on Sólheimasandur in November 1973, recalls the dramatic incident. About 45 minutes after takeoff, ice began to form on the aircraft, eventually reaching a critical level. Like many planes from the World War II era, this particular Douglas aircraft used a traditional carburetor system, requiring oxygen to be mixed with fuel for combustion. The ice blocked this process, causing both engines to fail. Fletcher describes how the pilot-in-command and the flight engineer worked desperately to restart the engines while he focused on keeping the aircraft stable and figuring out their position and heading—no easy task in an era before GPS navigation. At that moment, Fletcher made a crucial decision: their chances of survival would be greater if they landed in the ocean rather than on the glacier. He turned the plane south, heading for the coastline.Pilot returns to wreck half a century later https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/news/2025/09/04/pilot_returns_to_wreck_half_a_century_later/ 12 September 2025 Morgunblaðið 4 September 2025 English Aircraft The aircraft, serial number 17171, was designated C-117D and was based on the Super DC-3, first flown in 1944. This R4D-8 was built as an R4D-5 (msn 12554) and converted to R4D-8 (msn 43309) in November 1951. All R4D-8 aircraft still extant were re-designated as C-117D in the tri-service designation system introduced from 18 September 1962. Tourist site As of 2024, the fuselage of the aircraft remains relatively intact, and the site has become a popular tourist destination.https://grapevine.is/travel/2019/04/24/the-dust-storm-wild-winds-atv-adventures-on-the-south-coast/ The Dust Storm: Wild Winds & ATV Adventures On The South Coast Rogers John 2019-04-24 The Reykjavik Grapevine en-US 2020-01-18https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51152831 Chinese tourists found dead by 1973 Iceland plane crash site BBC News 2020-01-17 2020-01-18 en-GBhttps://guidetoiceland.is/connect-with-locals/jorunnsg/the-abandoned-dc-plane-on-solheimasandur The Abandoned DC Plane on Sólheimasandur Jórunn 2014-02-07 Guide to Iceland en 2020-01-18 The wreck has accumulated superficial damage from graffiti, gunfire, and tourists over the years.https://grapevine.is/news/2019/07/15/iconic-airplane-wreck-in-south-iceland-riddled-with-graffiti-polish-media-reports/ Iconic Airplane Wreck In South Iceland Riddled With Graffiti, Polish Media Reports 2019-07-15 The Reykjavik Grapevine en-US 2020-01-18https://icelandmag.is/article/solheimasandur-sand-beach-famous-plane-wreck-vandalised Sólheimasandur sand beach famous plane wreck vandalised Icelandmag en 2020-01-18 Tours to the site are available, and the trek back and forth takes about two to three hours. In January 2020, two Chinese tourists died of hypothermia near the wreckage after getting caught in a storm.Sunna Kristín Hilmarsdóttir Krufning bendir til þess að ferðamennirnir hafi orðið úti á Sólheimasandi https://www.visir.is/g/2020200129671/krufning-bendir-til-thess-ad-ferda-mennirnir-hafi-ordid-uti-a-sol-heima-sandi 30 April 2021 Vísir.is 22 January 2020 Icelandic A month later, search and rescue units had to rescue several tourists who had ignored a warning from the police to not trek to the wreckage due to deteriorating weather in the area.Óttar Kolbeinsson Proppé Ferðamönnum sem hunsuðu varnaðarorð lögreglu bjargað á Sólheimasandi https://www.frettabladid.is/frettir/ferdamonnum-sem-hunsudu-varnadarord-logreglu-bjargad-a-solheimasandi/ 30 April 2021 Fréttablaðið 15 February 2020 Icelandic Popular culture The crash site was featured in the music video of Justin Bieber's 2015 song "I'll Show You".https://icelandmag.is/article/landowners-have-closed-road-leading-plane-wreck-solheimasandur-beach Landowners have closed the road leading to the plane wreck on Sólheimasandur beach Icelandmag en 2020-01-18 American musician George Hirsch's 2016 album Hijrah used an image of the Sólheimasandur crash as its cover.https://tometal.com/interview-folk-dark-rock-band-harm-wulf/ INTERVIEW: Folk/Dark Rock Band Harm Wülf 2016-08-04 TRANSCENDING OBSCURITY en-US 2020-01-18 The music video for the song "Gerua", from the Indian film Dilwale was shot at this site, in which lead actors Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol are seen standing on the wreckage. The site gained popularity among Indian tourists after the release of the songhttps://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/shah-rukh-khan-recollects-shooting-on-plane-in-icelands-black-beach-for-gerua-with-kajol/ SRK recollects shooting on plane in Iceland's black beach for 'Gerua' with Kajol 19 November 2015 The site was also featured in the music video "Let Me In", an orchestral ballad song that introduced the member Haseul of the Korean girl group Loona.https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/explore/story/69602/4-stunning-k-pop-mv-destinations-and-how-to-get-there https://web.archive.org/web/20190615084741/https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/explore/story/69602/4-stunning-k-pop-mv-destinations-and-how-to-get-there dead June 15, 2019 Bookmark These Stunning K-Pop MV Destinations The site is featured in start of season 12 of the Dutch reality TV game show Wie is de Mol? The site is featured on the cover art of "Collide" by Elektronomia. References Category:Tourist attractions in Iceland Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Douglas C-47 Skytrain Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1973 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Iceland Category:1973 in Iceland Category:Accidents and incidents involving United States Navy and Marine Corps aircraft