2022 Þingvallavatn plane crash

2022 Þingvallavatn plane crash is an aviation accident that happened on 3 February 2022 when TF-ABB (Cessna 172N) landed in icy Þingvallavatn and sank when it was conducting a sightseeing flight from Reykjavík Airport. All 4 people onboard died. Among those was skateboarder and YouTuber Josh Neuman, Icelandic pilot Haraldur Diego, along with Tim Alings and Nicola Bellavia. The disappearance of the plane led to the biggest search and rescue operation of a missing plane in Iceland in over 40 years.

The accident and rescue operations
The 1977 Cessna 172N registered TF-ABB took off from Reykjavík Airport at 10:38 on the morning of 3 February 2022. The flight plan indicated a two-hour sightseeing flight. Footage from security cameras from summerhouses near Þingvallavatn showed the plane about an hour later doing what appeared to be an attempted landing or touch-and-go on the southern part of Þingvallavatn which was at the time covered in thin ice. The plane hit the ice and sank. No distress call came from the plane and the plane's emergency transmitter did not send any messages. 112, the emergency line, did however receive a few-second call at 11:51 which later turned out to be from the phone of one of the passengers. When the plane did not arrive back at Reykjavík Airport at the right time the plane was reported missing. The search operation that followed was the biggest of a missing plane in Iceland in over 40 years or ever since TF-ROM went missing in May 1981. Over 1000 members of the Icelandic Search and Rescue teams, along with an Icelandic Coast Guard helicopter and a Danish Air Force plane took part in the search. The plane was found on 5 February at a depth of 48 meters and 800 meters away from land at the bottom of Ölfusvatnsvík in the southern part of Þingvallavatn but there was no sight of the men inside the plane. On 6 February, a remote-controlled submarine found the bodies of all four men in a 300-meter radius around the plane. It is believed that the men escaped from the plane but succumb to the ice-cold water.

Bad weather delayed rescue operations for a few days. An extensive rescue operation was commenced on 10 February including the Icelandic Police and their special unit, the fire brigade, the coast guard, and search and rescue teams to get the bodies and the plane out of the water. After a boat could break the ice covering the water, the 4 bodies of the men were pulled out of the water. Due to the bad winter conditions, a remote-controlled submarine with a grip arm was used to get the bodies. On 11 February, attempts to get the plane out of the water were postponed indefinitely due to conditions worsening in the water and the dangers it posed for the divers.

Preparation to get the plane began again in April when the ice melted on the water. On 22 April, the plane was pulled out of the water.

Cause
In the preliminary report from the Safety Investigation Authority of Iceland (Icelandic: Rannsóknarnefnd Samgönguslysa) on the accident it was reported that the plane flew for around 7 seconds at a very low altitude over the water before it landed in it.

In May 2024, the Safety Investigation Authority published its findings and attributed the accident to an intentional or unintentional landing on the frozen lake with human factors considered a contributory factor. The pilot was known to have previously landed on icy waters where he previously inspected conditions. The SIA found no evidence that he had inspected the conditions at Þingvallavatn beforehand and thus could not conclude whether the landing was intentional or not. Regardless, as soon as the plane touch the ice, it gave away and the plane landed in the water and sank less than two minutes later. The impact when the plane hit the ice and went down was not enough to activate the emergency transmitter. Despite the occupants getting out of the plane, it was concluded that due to weather conditions that they had no chance of reaching shore.

Aftermath
In the aftermath of the investigation, the Safety Investigation Authority directed the Icelandic Transport Authority to implement the installation of new ADS-B transmitters in all manned aircraft flying in Icelandic airspace. It furthermore directed the Icelandic Coast Guard to establish a response plan with Coordination Center of the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management regarding the organization, implementation and responsibility of a search for a missing aircraft.

Crew and passengers
The pilot was Haraldur Diego, chairman of AOPA Iceland and a pioneer in airplane photography tours in Iceland. The three passengers were from a group of ten people that were in Iceland to participate in an advertising campaign for the Belgian clothing line Suspicious Antwerp. Among the passengers was skateboarder and YouTuber Josh Neuman, along with Tim Alings and Nicola Bellavia.

On 12 April 2022, Haraldur's 50th birthday, a memorial service was held with candles being lit and floated on Þingvallavatn.