1973 Sólheimasandur Douglas C-117D crash


On 21 November 1973, a Douglas C-117D transport aircraft operated by the United States Navy crashed onto 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. The unsalvaged remains of the aircraft were left at the scene.

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.

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 and converted to R4D-8 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. The wreck has accumulated superficial damage from graffiti, gunfire, and tourists over the years. 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. 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.

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