2022 Þingvallavatn plane crash

2022 Þingvallavatn plane crash is an aviation accident which occurred on 3 February 2022 when a Cessna 172N (TF-ABB) crash-landed into the partly-frozen lake of Þingvallavatn and sank during a sightseeing flight from Reykjavík Airport. All four people on board died. They were Icelandic pilot Haraldur Diego, skateboarder and YouTuber Josh Neuman, Nicola Bellavia and Tim Alings. The disappearance of the plane led to the biggest search and rescue operation for 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 lake 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 1,000 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 the Þingvallavatn lake, 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 was believed that the men escaped from the plane, but had succumbed to the ice-cold water.

Bad weather delayed continued operations for a few days. An extensive recovery 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 retrieve the bodies and the plane. The frozen lake initially prevented rescue boats from accessing the site, but were eventually able to break through and the four bodies of the men were retrieved with a remote-controlled submarine with a grip arm. On 11 February, attempts to recover the aircraft out of the water were postponed due to worsening conditions in the water and the dangers it posed for the divers. After weather conditions improved and the ice had melted, the plane was finally retrieved out of the water on 22 April.