DC-3 Airplane wreck Eyvindarholt

History briefing 

The DC-3 airplane, which can be found here in Eyvindarholt, has a story that dates back to the year 1944 when it embarked on its first flight. It served the United States Navy at the naval base in Keflavík for several years during the 1960s.

One of its tasks was to transport people and merchandise to a radar station located on the mountain Heiðarfjall at Langanes, near the town Þorshöfn in the northeast of Iceland.

July 25, 1969

On the sunny day of July 25, 1969, the DC-3 C-47J (R4D-6) took off from Keflavík base and headed northeast. Its destination was the runway located by the farm Sauðanes near Þórshöfn. The runway, situated along a natural gravel stripe by the ocean, awaited their arrival. 

Before reaching Sauðanes, the captain received weather information for the location, indicating sunny conditions and a light breeze. Due to favourable weather,  the captain made a decision to take a short detour towards the Arctic Circle, approximately 25 kilometres north of Sauðanes, to enjoy the views before landing the plane. 

Upon returning back to Sauðanes, the captain successfully landed the plane on the runway, and everything appeared to be in order. However, during the braking process, the plane unexpectedly veered to the right. Despite attempts to brake several times, it veered off the runway and collided with a pile of driftwood, resulting in a broken wheel and the wing touching the ground.

Fortunately, none of the four people on board sustained any injuries. Given the assessment that repairing the plane or transporting it back to Keflavík would be excessively expensive, it was decided to tow it aside and leave it in a field near the runway. 

Since that day, the DC-3 airplane became a shelter for horses and sheep at Sauðanes farm, providing them refuge from the Northern winds. Additionally, it served as a playground for the children residing there, who would spend endless summer days playing around the aircraft.

The new chapter 

A few years ago, the airplane at Sauðanes became a tourist attraction, making it challenging for the animals to live peacefully and calmly in the field near the plane wreck. 

As a result, the farmers Ágúst and Steinunn in Sauðanes decided that it was time for the plane to take its final flight. They sought someone who would be willing to relocate it to another location, allowing people to enjoy it without disturbing the animals.

Tómas, the owner of Eyvindarholt had been contemplating the creation of a nice viewing point on his land. He had already explored various options and ideas to allow people to enjoy the amazing views of Stóra-Dímon mountain and Tindfjallajökull region.

When this opportunity arose, he reached out to Ágúst and Steinunn, who agreed to give the plane wreck to him.

Transporting the DC-3 plane wreck across Iceland, spanning a distance of 716 km  (444 miles), proved to be a challenging task, due to the presence of narrow roads traversing diverse landscapes. However, the job was successfully completed, and now the Sauðanes DC-3 plane wreck can be once again enjoyed by people here, in Eyvindarholt.