Akureyri | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

At 14:01 on August 9th, 2015, a pilot along with a friend, a contracted ferry flight pilot, planned to fly airplane N610LC, which is of the type De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) from Akureyri Airport to Keflavik Airport in Iceland. The purpose of the flight was to ferry the airplane from Akureyri to Minneapolis/St. Paul in the United States, where the airplane was to be sold. The airplane was initially flown in Eyjafjörður in a northernly direction from Akureyri, over Þelamörk and then towards and into the valley of Öxnadalur. The cloud ceiling was low and it was not possible to fly VFR flight over the heath/ridge of Öxnadalsheiði. The airplane was turned around in the head of the valley of Öxnadalur and flown towards the ridge of Staðartunguháls, where it was then flown towards the heath/ridge of Hörgárdalsheiði at the head of the valley of Hörgárdalur. In the valley of Hörgárdalur it became apparent that the cloud base was blocking off the heath/ridge of Hörgárdalsheiði, so the airplane was turned around again. The pilots then decided to fly around the peninsula of Tröllaskagi per their original backup plan, but when they reached the ridge of Staðartunguháls again the pilots noticed what looked like a break in the cloud cover over the head of the valley of Barkárdalur. A spontaneous decision was made by the pilots to fly into the valley of Barkárdalur. The valley of Barkárdalur is a long narrow valley with 3000 – 4500 feet high mountain ranges extending on either side. At the head of the valley of Barkárdalur there is a mountain passage at an elevation of approximately 3900 ft. About 45 minutes after takeoff the airplane crashed in the head of the valley of Barkárdalur at an elevation of 2260 feet. The pilot was severely injured and the ferry flight pilot was fatally injured in a post crash fire.

Probable cause:

Causes:
- According to the ITSB calculations the airplane was well over the maximum gross weight and the airplane’s performance was considerably degraded due to its overweight condition.
Weather
- VFR flight was executed, with the knowledge of IMC at the planned flight route across Tröllaskagi. The airplane was turned around before it entered IMC on two occasions and it crashed when the PF attempted to turn it around for the third time.
- Favorable weather on for the subsequent flight between Keflavik Airport and Greenland on August 10th may have motivated the pilots to fly the first leg of the flight in poor weather conditions on August 9th.
Terrain
- The pilots failed to take into account the geometry of the valley of Barkárdalur, namely its narrow width and the fast rising floor in the back of the valley.
Contributing factors:
CRM - Inadequate planning
- The W&B calculations performed by the PF prior to the flight were insufficient, as the airplane’s weight was well over the maximum gross weight of the airplane.
- The plan was to look for an opening (in the weather), first in the head of the valley of Öxnadalur, then the head of Hörgárdalur and finally in the head of Barkárdalur.
- The decision to fly into the valley of Barkárdalur was taken spontaneously, when flying out of the valley of Hörgárdalur and the pilots noticed what looked like a break in the cloud cover over the head of the valley of Barkárdalur.
CRM – Failed to conduct adequate briefing
- A failure of CRM occurred when the PNF did not inform the PF of the amount of fuel he added to the airplane prior to the flight.
Overconfidence
- The special ferry flight permit the pilots received for the ferry flight to Iceland in 2008 may have provided the pilots with a misleading assumption that such loading of the airplane in 2015 was also satisfactory.
Continuation bias
- The pilots were determined to continue with their plan to fly to Keflavik Airport, over the peninsula of Tröllaskagi, in spite of bad weather condition.
Loss of situational awareness
- The pilots were not actively managing the flight or staying ahead of the aircraft, taking into account various necessary factors including performance, weather and terrain.
- The airplane most likely incurred severe carburetor icing in Barkárdalur.

Final Report:

Crash of a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air in Akureyri: 2 killed

Date & Time: Aug 5, 2013 at 1329 LT

Type of aircraft:

Beechcraft 200 Super King Air

Operator:

Registration:

TF-MYX

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Ferry

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Reykjavik - Akureyri

MSN:

BB-1136

YOM:

1983

Location:

Akureyri

Northeastern Region (Norðurland eystra)

Country:

Iceland

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

2600

Captain / Total hours on type:

1700.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

2200

Copilot / Total hours on type:

1100

Aircraft flight hours:

15247

Aircraft flight cycles:

18574

Circumstances:

On 4th of August 2013 the air ambulance operator Mýflug, received a request for an ambulance flight from Höfn (BIHN) to Reykjavík Airport (BIRK). This was a F4 priority request and the operator, in co-operation with the emergency services, planned the flight the next morning. The plan was for the flight crew and the paramedic to meet at the airport at 09:30 AM on the 5th of August. A flight plan was filed from Akureyri (BIAR) to BIHN (positioning flight), then from BIHN to BIRK (ambulance flight) and from BIRK back to BIAR (positioning flight). The planned departure from BIAR was at 10:20. The flight crew consisted of a commander and a co-pilot. In addition to the flight crew was a paramedic, who was listed as a passenger. Around 09:50 on the 5th of August, the flight crew and the paramedic met at the operator’s home base at BIAR. The flight crew prepared the flight and performed a standard pre-flight inspection. There were no findings to the aircraft during the pre-flight inspection. The pre-flight inspection was finished at approximately 10:10. The departure from BIAR was at 10:21 and the flight to BIHN was uneventful. The aircraft landed at BIHN at 11:01. The commander was the pilot flying from BIAR to BIHN. The operator’s common procedure is that the commander and the co-pilot switch every other flight, as the pilot flying. The co-pilot was the pilot flying from BIHN to BIRK and the commander was the pilot flying from BIRK to BIAR, i.e. during the accident flight. The aircraft departed BIHN at 11:18, for the ambulance flight and landed at BIRK at 12:12. At BIRK the aircraft was refueled and departed at 12:44. According to flight radar, the flight from BIRK to BIAR was flown at FL 170. Figure 4 shows the radar track of the aircraft as recorded by Reykjavík Control. There is no radar coverage by Reykjavík Control below 5000 feet, in the area around BIAR. During cruise, the flight crew discussed the commander’s wish to deviate from the planned route to BIAR, in order to fly over a racetrack area near the airport. At the racetrack, a race was about to start at that time. The commander had planned to visit the racetrack area after landing. The aircraft approached BIAR from the south and at 10.5 DME the flight crew cancelled IFR. When passing KN locator (KRISTNES), see Figure 6, the flight crew made a request to BIAR tower to overfly the town of Akureyri, before landing. The request was approved by the tower and the flight crew was informed that a Fokker 50 was ready for departure on RWY 01. The flight crew of TF-MYX responded and informed that they would keep west of the airfield. After passing KN, the altitude was approximately 800’ (MSL), according to the co-pilot’s statement. The co-pilot mentioned to the commander that they were a bit low and recommended a higher altitude. The altitude was then momentarily increased to 1000’. When approaching the racetrack area, the aircraft entered a steep left turn. During the turn, the altitude dropped until the aircraft hit the racetrack.

Probable cause:

The commander was familiar with the racetrack where a race event was going on and he wanted to perform a flyby over the area. The flyby was made at a low altitude. When approaching the racetrack area, the aircraft’s calculated track indicated that the commander’s intention of the flyby was to line up with the racetrack. In order to do that, the commander turned the aircraft to such a bank angle that it was not possible for the aircraft to maintain altitude. The ITSB believes that during the turn, the commander most probably pulled back on the controls instead of levelling the wings. This caused the aircraft to enter a spiral down and increased the loss of altitude. The investigation revealed that the manoeuvre was insufficiently planned and outside the scope of the operator manuals and handbooks. The low-pass was made at such a low altitude and steep bank that a correction was not possible in due time and the aircraft collided with the racetrack. The ITSB believes that human factor played a major role in this accident. Inadequate collaboration and planning of the flyover amongst the flight crew indicates a failure of CRM. This made the flight crew less able to make timely corrections. The commander’s focus was most likely on lining up with the racetrack, resulting in misjudging the approach for the low pass and performing an overly steep turn. The overly steep turn caused the aircraft to lose altitude and collide with the ground. The co-pilot was unable to effectively monitor the flyover/low-pass and react because of failure in CRM i.e. insufficient planning and communication. A contributing factor is considered to be that the flight path of the aircraft was made further west of the airfield, due to traffic, resulting in a steeper turn. The investigation revealed that flight crews were known to deviate occasionally from flight plans.
Causal factors:
- A breakdown in CRM occurred.
- A steep bank angle was needed to line up with the racetrack.
- The discussed flyby was executed as a low pass.
- The maximum calculated bank angle during last phase of flight was 72.9°, which is outside the aircraft manoeuvring limit.
- ITSB believes that the commander’s focus on a flyby that he had not planned thoroughly resulted in a low-pass with a steep bank, causing the aircraft to lose altitude and collide with the ground.
Contributory factors:
- The commander’s attention to the activity at the race club area, and his association with the club was most probably a source of distraction for him and most likely motivated him to execute an unsafe maneuver.
- Deviations from normal procedures were seen to be acceptable by some flight crews.
- A flyby was discussed between the pilots but not planned in details.
- The flight crew reacted to the departing traffic from BIAR by bringing their flight path further west of the airport.
- The approach to the low pass was misjudged.
- The steep turn was most probably made due to the commander’s intention to line up with the race track.

Final Report:

Crash of a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain off Isafjördur: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 21, 1987 at 1956 LT

Type of aircraft:

Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain

Operator:

Registration:

TF-ORN

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Ferry

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Akureyri – Isafjörđur

MSN:

31-7952174

YOM:

1979

Location:

Ísafjörður

Westfjords (Vestfirðir)

Country:

Iceland

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

1929

Captain / Total hours on type:

156.00

Circumstances:

While approaching Isafjörđur Airport, the pilot encountered poor visibility due to the night and poor weather conditions. While trying to locate the airport, he lost control of the airplane that crashed in the sea about six km offshore. The aircraft sank and was lost and the pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Final Report:

Crash of a Lockheed Hudson in Akureyri

Date & Time: Jul 29, 1950

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Flugferdir

Registration:

TF-SHB

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

414-5995

YOM:

1941

Location:

Akureyri

Northeastern Region (Norðurland eystra)

Country:

Iceland

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances near Akureyri Airport.

Crash of a Douglas DC-3 on Mt Hestfjall: 25 killed

Date & Time: May 29, 1947 at 1248 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-3

Operator:

Registration:

TF-ISI

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Reykjavik – Akureyri

MSN:

13389

YOM:

1944

Location:

Mt Hestfjall

Northeastern Region (Norðurland eystra)

Country:

Iceland

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Enroute from Reykjavik to Akureyri, while flying in marginal weather conditions east of the city of Siglufjörður, the aircraft hit the slope of Mt Hestfjall located on the west coast of the Héðinsfjörður Bay. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 25 occupants were killed. Up to date, worst airplane crash in Iceland History.