1973 Sólheimasandur Douglas DC-3 crash

1973 Sólheimasandur Douglas DC-3 crash

The crashed C-117D in 2015
Accident
Date	21 November 1973 (1973-11-21)
Summary	Icing conditions
Site	Near Sólheimasandur 63°27′32.70″N 19°21′53.37″W
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Douglas C-117D
Operator	United States Navy
Registration	17171
Flight origin	Hornafjörður Airport (HFN/BIHN), Iceland
Destination	Naval Air Station Keflavik
Crew	7
Fatalities	0
Injuries	0
Survivors	7

On 21 November 1973, a Douglas C-117D transport aircraft operated by the United States Navy crashed onto Sólheimasandur [is] beach 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 7 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.[1]

Aircraft

The aircraft, serial number 17171, was designated C-117D and was based on the Super DC-3, first flown in 1944.[1] 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.[2][3][4] The wreck has accumulated superficial damage from graffiti, gunfire, and tourists over the years.[5][6] Tours to the site are available,[4] 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.[3][7] 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.[8]

Popular culture

• The crash site of the DC-3 was featured in the music video of Justin Bieber's 2015 song I'll Show You.[9]
• American musician George Hirsch's 2016 album Hijrah used an image of the Sólheimasandur crash as its cover.[10]

• The show Top Gear America featured in the episode "Viking Trucks" while in Iceland.^[citation needed]

• A music video of song named 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 song.[11]

• 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.[12]

• The site is featured in the Netflix sci-fi drama Katla.^[citation needed]

• The site is featured in start of season 12 of the Dutch reality TV game show Wie is de Mol?

References

1. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas R4D-8 (Super DC-3) 17171 Sólheimasandur". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
2. Rogers, John (2019-04-24). "The Dust Storm: Wild Winds & ATV Adventures On The South Coast". The Reykjavik Grapevine. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
3. "Chinese tourists found dead by 1973 Iceland plane crash site". BBC News. 2020-01-17. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
4. Jórunn (2014-02-07). "The Abandoned DC Plane on Sólheimasandur". Guide to Iceland. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
5. "Iconic Airplane Wreck In South Iceland Riddled With Graffiti, Polish Media Reports". The Reykjavik Grapevine. 2019-07-15. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
6. "Sólheimasandur sand beach famous plane wreck vandalised". Icelandmag. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
7. Sunna Kristín Hilmarsdóttir (22 January 2020). "Krufning bendir til þess að ferðamennirnir hafi orðið úti á Sólheimasandi". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 30 April 2021.
8. Óttar Kolbeinsson Proppé (15 February 2020). "Ferðamönnum sem hunsuðu varnaðarorð lögreglu bjargað á Sólheimasandi". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 30 April 2021.
9. "Landowners have closed the road leading to the plane wreck on Sólheimasandur beach". Icelandmag. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
10. "INTERVIEW: Folk/Dark Rock Band Harm Wülf". TRANSCENDING OBSCURITY. 2016-08-04. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
11. "SRK recollects shooting on plane in Iceland's black beach for 'Gerua' with Kajol". 19 November 2015.
12. "Bookmark These Stunning K-Pop MV Destinations".