A group of 55 specialists was needed to lift from the bottom of the Þingvallavatn lake Cessna 172 reg. TF-ABB, which drowned there on 3.February, MBL reported. During the crash, four people were on board: the head of AOPA-Iceland Haraldur Diego with three foreign tourists from the United States, Belgium and the Netherlands. Rescuers found their bodies within 300 meters radius of the plane during the operation in February. The rescue operation of the plane itself was delayed for a couple of months due to bad weather conditions in the area, and therefore high risks for rescuers.
The investigator Ragnar Guðmundsson from Transport Accident Investigation Board (RNSA) conducted a field examination of the rescued plane after it was taken on the shore. Guðmundsson concluded the aircraft was not severely damaged during the accident, except for the front and bottom sides of the fuselage.
