The 1951 Flugfélag Íslands DC-3 crash (Icelandic: Glitfaxaslysið, "the Glitfaxi accident") was a plane crash that occurred on 31 January 1951 when a Douglas DC-3 from Flugfélag Íslands, christened Glitfaxi, crashed in Faxaflói in Iceland, killing all 20 people aboard.[1][2] It remains the second deadliest air crash in Iceland behind the 1947 Héðinsfjörður air crash.[3][4]
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 31 January 1951 |
| Summary | Air crash |
| Site | Faxaflói, Iceland |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-3 |
| Aircraft name | Glitfaxi |
| Operator | Flugfélag Íslands |
| Registration | TF-ISG |
| Flight origin | Vestmannaeyjar |
| Destination | Reykjavík |
| Passengers | 17 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 20 |
The plane was attempting to land at Reykjavík airport during heavy snowfall. Its first attempt to land was aborted due to low visibility. During its second attempt, all contact was lost with the plane.[5][6] After it became clear that Glitfaxi had disappeared, a search immediately began. The following days, both land, sea and air searches were conducted including by the ICGV Ægir and the herring vessel Fanney that searched the area with depth sounders.[7] While several items belonging to the plane where found in the ocean, the wreck itself was never officially found.[8][9][10]
Aircraft edit
Glitfaxi was built in 1942 in Santa Monica, California, for the United States Air Force. In November 1946, Flugfélag Íslands bought the aircraft from Scottish Aviation which had converted her for passenger flights.[11]
Aftermath edit
The crash hit the small town of Vestmannaeyjar hard, where the majority of the passengers where from, leaving 50 children in the town without a father.[12][13]
In popular culture edit
The accident is featured in the book Hinn hvíti galdur by Ólafur Tryggvason.[14]
References edit
- ^ "Minningarathöfn um þá sem fórust með flugvélinni Glitfaxa hefst í Dómkirkjunni kl. 2 e.h. í dag". Þjóðviljinn (in Icelandic). 24 February 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 23 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.
- ^ "Enginn á Glitfaxa komst lífs af". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 2 February 1951. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 23 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.
- ^ Arnar Þór Ingólfsson (12 June 2019). "Fyrsta banaslysið í flugi frá 2015". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ "392 einstaklingar hafa farist". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 22 October 2002. p. 11. Retrieved 23 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.
- ^ "Glitfaxi hefir farizt milli Álftaness og Keilisness". Tíminn (in Icelandic). 2 February 1951. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 23 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.
- ^ "Tíu flugvélar og tíu leitarflokkar hófu leitina að Glitfaxa snemma í morgun". Tíminn (in Icelandic). 1 February 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 23 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.
- ^ "Reynt verður að finna flak Glitfaxa í dag". Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 February 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 23 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.
- ^ "Farþegar og flugvjelaráhöfn sem fórst með Glitfaxa". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 24 February 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 23 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.
- ^ Gísli Baldur Gíslason (31 January 2011). "Flugvélin sem hvarf". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). pp. 12–13. Retrieved 23 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.
- ^ Björgvin Gunnarsson (10 February 2023). "Ráðgátan um eitt dularfyllsta flugslys Íslandssögunnar: Kafari fann flak Glitfaxa". Mannlíf (in Icelandic). No. 2. pp. 10–13. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
- ^ Arngrímur Sigurðsson; Skúli Jón Sigurðarson (1 January 1971). "Douglas Dakota - TF-ISG". Æskan (in Icelandic). p. 54. Retrieved 23 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.
- ^ Guðbjörg Sigurgeirsdóttir; Ómar Garðarsson (10 February 2011). "Glitfaxaslysið snerti alla Íslendinga en hvergi varð höggið þyngra en í Vestmannaeyjum". Eyjafréttir (in Icelandic). pp. 9–11. Retrieved 23 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.
- ^ Guðrún Gyða Eyþórs Árnadóttir (5 July 2021). "Fimmtíu börn misstu foreldri í áætlunarflugi frá Vestmannaeyjum -"Veit ekki hvernig þetta verður"". Mannlíf (in Icelandic). Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ Steingrímur Sigurðsson (2 December 1961). "Hinn hvíti galdur". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 23 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.
