Incident Overview
On 25 February 2024, a serious air traffic incident occurred over Skerjafjörður, Iceland, involving two aircraft in the traffic circuit for runway 19 at Reykjavik Airport (BIRK). The closest proximity between the aircraft was 75 feet (23 meters) vertically and zero lateral distance at an altitude of approximately 900 feet.
Aircraft and Controllers
The first aircraft, a Textron Aviation Inc. 172N (Cessna 172), registration TF-FFL, was built in 1979 and held a valid airworthiness certificate. The second aircraft, a Diamond DA-20, registration TF-FGB, was built in 2005 and also held a valid airworthiness certificate. Three air traffic controllers were on duty in the tower: one working the tower position, one working the ground position, and one resting but present in the workroom.
Sequence of Events
At 15:17, the traffic situation included several aircraft. The controller cleared TF-FFL for a touch-and-go landing at 15:18:03. At 15:18:32, the pilot of TF-FGB requested and received approval for a circle over Hafnarfjörður. At 15:19:28, TF-FFL was instructed to turn right onto the crosswind leg. At 15:20:35, TF-FFL was informed it was number three behind a helicopter. At 15:23:22, TF-FFL was told it was number one. At 15:24:14, TF-FFL was cleared for another touch-and-go. At 15:24:23, TF-FGB requested to come in for touch-and-goes and was instructed to join right downwind for runway 19. No traffic information was provided to either pilot.
Between 15:21 and the incident, the tower workroom had ongoing loud chatter related to a televised English football final (Carabao Cup Final, Chelsea vs. Liverpool) that was being shown on a TV set behind the workstations. All three controllers participated in the discussions to varying degrees. At 15:26:06, the tower controller dropped a strip holder on the floor, and the controllers briefly assisted in picking up strips. During this time, TF-FFL was turning crosswind over Fossvogur, and TF-FGB was between Bessastaðanes and Kársness. At 15:26:18, a near collision occurred when TF-FFL was on crosswind and TF-FGB was coming out of downwind, just west of Kársnes. Both pilots reported that TF-FGB flew directly under TF-FFL. No traffic information had been given by the tower controller.
Proximity and Separation
Analysis of flight paths showed that the minimum vertical separation was 25 feet (7.6 meters) when 0.23 nautical miles (426 meters) apart, and the minimum lateral separation was 0 nautical miles (0 meters) when 75 feet (23 meters) apart. The closest point was 75 feet (23 meters) between the aircraft.
Post-Incident Actions
At 15:26:50, 32 seconds after the near collision, the pilot of TF-FFL called the tower controller to report that an aircraft had flown very low beneath them. The tower controller had not detected the conflict. After the incident, the television was disconnected on 26 February 2024. On 27 February, a videoconference with air traffic controllers at Reykjavik and Akureyri airports informed them of the incident and emphasized the importance of disciplined work practices and the negative impact of employee entertainment on colleagues performing duties. Work began on creating procedures for the use of media in control workrooms, covering TV, radio, streaming, games, phones, and computers.