It was November 24, 1973 when a transport plane Douglas C-117D of the US Navy crashed on the black volcanic beach of Solheimasanduralong the southern coast of Iceland, as it flew over the glacier Vatnajökull to return to the base of Keflavik . Incredibly, all five crew members survived the accident, despite the terrible condition of the aircraft, which is now a real tourist attraction even reported on Google Maps: the remains of the main fuselage, which had remained relatively intact since the accident, were left on the beach.
But what exactly happened that cold November day? The US aircraft was returning to base after carrying out a routine control mission. Suddenly, the C-117’s engines began to lose power. The very young driver, the 26 year old Gregory Fletcherhe found himself forced into one landing maneuverwhich came out perfectly: he promptly identified the beach of Solheimasandur (GPS coordinates: 63°27’32.8″ N / 19°21’53.2″ W). The five young people on board emerged totally unharmed and alerted the emergency services, waiting for them for an hour in the arctic wind. It must be said that they were lucky, because just 20 km away as the crow flies is the Katla volcano (under the Mýrdalsjökull glacier), which is one of Iceland’s most active and unpredictable volcanoes, and when it erupts it can dump huge amounts of water and sediment towards the coast.
In any case, after the event the wreck was only partially dismantled (due to costs), and in that almost lunar landscape only the fuselagewhich today is little more than a carcass eroded by atmospheric agents on which young people enjoy leaving writings, and which photography enthusiasts take shots of.
