Eyvindarholt plane wreckage in Iceland

by KC Photography

The famous plane wreck at Eyvindarholt in Iceland.
The DC-3 aircraft standing here at Eyvindarholt has a story dating back to 1944, when it made its first flight. In the 1960s, it served for several years for the US Navy at the naval base in Keflavík. One of its tasks was to transport people and goods to a radar station on Mount Heiðarfjall in Langanes, near the town of Þorshöfn in northeast Iceland. On the sunny day of 25 July 1969, the DC-3 C-47J (R4D-6) took off from Keflavík base and flew in a northeasterly direction. Its destination was the airstrip at Sauðanes farm near Þórshöfn.
On the return to Sauðanes, the captain successfully landed the plane on the runway and everything seemed fine. However, during braking, the plane unexpectedly deviated to the right. Despite several attempts to brake, it deviated from the runway and collided with a pile of driftwood, breaking a wheel and causing the wing to hit the ground.
Fortunately, none of the four occupants were injured. Given the assessment that repairing the plane or transporting it back to Keflavík would be prohibitively expensive, it was decided to tow it aside and leave it in a field near the runway.
Since that day, the DC-3 aircraft became a shelter for horses and sheep at Sauðanes' farm, allowing them to take shelter from the north wind.