Investigation Summary
On the night of September 14, 1950, the aircraft Geysir was operating a freight service for Seaboard & Western Airlines. While en route to a scheduled stop in Reykjavík, the aircraft encountered adverse weather and drifted far to the east of its intended track. At approximately 22:50, the aircraft's wing struck the Bárðarbunga glacier, leading to a crash-landing. The crew survived but faced extreme conditions and a total loss of primary radio communication. They were not located until two and a half days later when they successfully activated an emergency transmitter from a rubber liferaft. The rescue itself became a saga: a USAF C-47 Dakota landed on the glacier to retrieve the crew but became stuck after failing multiple takeoff attempts. Ultimately, a ground team reached the site on foot and via sled, escorting both the original crew and the USAF rescuers to safety. The abandoned C-47 was later purchased by Loftleiðir for a nominal fee, dug out from under seven meters of snow the following year, and returned to service.
Final Conclusions
The Air Accident Investigation Board concluded that the root cause was a navigational error. Legal action followed, resulting in the aeronautical engineer losing his flight license for life and one pilot being fined. However, the investigation faced significant criticism for failing to account for potential LORAN station deficiencies or the impact of an unusual, high-velocity wind string that meteorologists later identified as a primary factor in the aircraft's drift.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Systems & Failure Modes
LORAN
Long Range Navigation system; the investigation was criticized for not verifying if LORAN station transmissions were deficient at the time of the crash.
Emergency Transmitter
A portable radio unit stored in the aircraft's rubber liferaft, which the crew used to signal their location after the main aircraft radio was destroyed.
Interesting Facts
- 01All six crew members survived the initial crash and the subsequent days on the glacier.
- 02The aircraft was being used for freight transport for Seaboard & Western Airlines at the time of the accident.
- 03The rescue operation led directly to the founding of the Air Ground Rescue Team of Reykjavík (Flugbjörgunarsveitin Reykjavík) on November 24, 1950.
- 04The stranded USAF rescue plane was later salvaged by Loftleiðir and returned to service under the name Jökull.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Establishment of Specialized Rescue Units
The difficulties encountered during the search and rescue led to the creation of the Air Ground Rescue Team of Reykjavík (Flugbjörgunarsveitin Reykjavík) on November 24, 1950.
Known Controversies & Unanswered Questions
Inadequacy of Official Investigation
Reference ↗The official investigation was criticized for focusing solely on crew error and ignoring external factors such as weather conditions, potential equipment failure, or LORAN signal reliability.
Location
APPROXIMATE POSITION · AIRPORT LEVEL · Coordinates are the estimate published in the wikidata coordinate. The ring shows the accuracy the record supports, not the point of impact.