In 1973, a twin-engine propeller plane, a DC-3, was forced to make an emergency landing on the black sand beach of Sólheimasandur in southern Iceland due to severe icing on the fuselage and engine. The location is between Skógafoss waterfall and Vik. Fortunately, all crew members survived. Since then, the plane wreck has remained on the black sand beach, becoming a unique and highly cinematic attraction in Iceland.
The plane wreck is located four kilometers from the parking area. To get there for photos, you must be prepared to hike four kilometers across sandy terrain. That time, it took us forty-five minutes to an hour to reach the destination with our photography gear. When we finally saw the long-awaited plane wreck, we felt that every bit of the exhaustion was worth it. After all, in Iceland, it’s not hard to find waterfalls, black sand beaches, and glaciers, but a cinematic plane wreck like this—apart from here, you’d be hard-pressed to find one elsewhere.