What happened
On August 9, 2015, a De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, registration N610LC, departed Akureyri Airport in Iceland. The flight was being conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) as a ferry mission intended to transport the aircraft to Minneapolis/St. Paul in the United States for a sale. The crew, consisting of the pilot and a contracted ferry pilot, initially traveled north over Eyjafjörður and Þelamörk toward the Öxnadalur valley.
Due to a low cloud ceiling, the crew found it impossible to maintain VFR conditions over the Öxnadalsheiði ridge. After turning back and attempting to navigate toward the Hörgárdalur valley, the pilots encountered similar obstructions at the Hörgárdalsheiði ridge. The crew then attempted to follow a backup route around the Tröllaskagi peninsula. Upon reaching the Staðartunguháls ridge, the pilots observed what appeared to be a gap in the clouds over the Barkárdalur valley.
Following a spontaneous decision to enter the Barkárdalur valley, the aircraft proceeded into the narrow terrain characterized by mountain ranges between 3,000 and 4,500 feet. Approximately 45 minutes after the initial takeoff, the aircraft struck terrain at an elevation of 2,260 feet in the upper portion of the valley. The impact resulted in a post-crash fire, causing one fatality and one injury.