2022 Þingvallavatn plane crash

The 2022 Þingvallavatn plane crash happened on February 3, 2022. A small airplane, a Cessna 172N named TF-ABB, was flying a sightseeing tour from Reykjavík Airport. Suddenly, the plane crashed into the partly-frozen lake of Þingvallavatn and sank.

Sadly, all four people on board died in the accident. They were the pilot, Haraldur Diego, along with passengers Josh Neuman—a skateboarder and YouTuber—Nicola Bellavia, and Tim Alings.

Because the plane disappeared, it led to one of the largest search and rescue operations ever seen in Iceland for a missing airplane, the biggest in more than forty years. The crash remains an important event in aviation safety history.

The accident and rescue operations

The Cessna 172N took off from Reykjavík Airport on the morning of 3 February 2022 for a sightseeing flight. The plane tried to land on the thin ice of Þingvallavatn lake but sank. No distress call was made, and the plane was reported missing when it did not return on time.

A large search operation followed, involving over 1,000 people, including Search and Rescue teams, the Icelandic Coast Guard, and a Danish Air Force plane. The plane was found on the lake's bottom on 5 February. Recovery efforts continued through bad weather, and the plane was finally brought out of the water on 22 April.

Cause

The plane flew very low over the water before landing on the partly-frozen lake of Þingvallavatn. The investigation found that the pilot had not checked the ice conditions before landing, and when the plane touched the ice, it broke through and sank quickly into the water. Because of the weather, the people on the plane could not reach the shore after the crash.

Aftermath

After the crash, the Safety Investigation Authority asked the Icelandic Transport Authority to add new ADS-B transmitters to all planes in Iceland. They also asked the Icelandic Coast Guard to make a plan with the Civil Protection team for finding lost planes.

Victims

The pilot of the plane was Haraldur Diego, who was well known for his airplane photography tours in Iceland. The three passengers were part of a group of ten people in Iceland for an advertising campaign for the Belgian clothing line Suspicious Antwerp. Among them were skateboarder and YouTuber Josh Neuman, along with Nicola Bellavia and Tim Alings.

A memorial service for Haraldur was held on his 50th birthday, where candles were lit and floated on the lake, Þingvallavatn.