The desire to travel to Iceland is not only felt by nature lovers who want to expose themselves to the clear air and the vastness of the Icelandic volcanic and glacier landscapes. Photographers who want to visit one of the world’s most coveted lost places also fly to the 100,000 square kilometer island: the wreck of a Douglas DC-3 that crashed almost 50 years ago.
This aluminum frame rests on an ash-black beach on the south coast of Iceland. It is the remains of an emergency landing when the US military’s propeller plane tried to return from Höfn to the base in Keflavík, now Iceland’s international airport, on the short flight in November 1973.
When the two engines failed due to icing, the crew managed to make an emergency landing with the aircraft on this remote stretch of beach. All five people on board were uninjured. The engines and wings were later salvaged. The hull, on the other hand, was left to its own devices.
An airplane wreck becomes a tourist attraction
The wreck of Sólheimasandur only became better known through photographs and video clips filmed here, especially through a short scene in the music clip by Justin Biber “I’ll Show You”playing in Iceland.
If you want to make a pilgrimage to the wreck, you have to take a one-hour walk in each direction from the ring road on the south coast. The harsh climate and salty air had a bad impact on the type of aircraft, also known as the raisin bomber.
But the DC-3 remains are not the only wrecks worth seeing on the shores of Iceland’s fjords, as the photo gallery above shows.
Also read:
– From rustic to luxury: these are Iceland’s most remote accommodations
– Aurora Basecamp on Iceland where the northern lights shine magically
– Ten years ago: When an Icelandic volcano paralyzed air traffic