Icelandair reports pilot to police after unauthorised farewell flyover
A captain with 40 years of service deviated from his flight plan on his final flight before retirement to perform a low-altitude pass over the Westman Islands, where he grew up. Icelandair confirmed it had no prior knowledge of the manoeuvre and has referred the matter to police.
At some point on Saturday afternoon, as flight FI521 crossed the North Atlantic from Frankfurt to Keflavík, the captain made a decision that was not in the flight plan.
The Boeing 757-200, registration TF-ISR, deviated from its standard approach and descended toward the Westman Islands — a small volcanic archipelago off Iceland's southern coast. The captain, a native of the islands with 40 years of service at Icelandair, descended to approximately 100 metres above the town of Vestmannaeyjar. Houses shook. Residents came out to look. Several filmed the aircraft on their phones; the footage reached social media within hours.
It was his last flight before retirement. By Sunday, Icelandair had reported him to the police.
The airline's response was swift and unambiguous. Linda Gunnarsdóttir, Icelandair's Chief Flight Officer, confirmed the manoeuvre had been conducted entirely without authorisation. "This was not done with any permission from us, and it was done completely without our knowledge," she said. "In aviation, everything is tightly governed by procedures and checklists in normal passenger operations, and this does not fall within that framework."
The flight was carrying passengers at the time. Icelandair has not confirmed whether they were informed of the deviation while it was happening. Flightradar24 confirmed the route deviation but noted altitude data during the low pass was partially occluded by nearby cliff terrain; the aircraft was recorded climbing as it came back into full signal coverage.
Icelandair has launched an internal investigation alongside the police referral. The Icelandic Transport Authority is expected to review whether aviation regulations were violated. Outcomes could include licence review and administrative penalties — consequences that do not automatically expire with retirement.
The Westman Islands are not simply scenery. In 1973, a volcanic eruption destroyed a third of Vestmannaeyjar and forced the overnight evacuation of the entire population. The local airstrip became the primary lifeline through which supplies came in and the injured went out. For a man who grew up there and spent four decades flying, the islands below him on a final approach to Keflavík carried a weight that is not difficult to understand.
None of that makes what he did permissible. A Boeing 757-200 at 100 metres above a residential area carries risks that good intentions do not mitigate. Icelandair has not confirmed whether passengers were informed during the flight or whether air traffic control was advised of the deviation. Residents described being startled by the aircraft passing overhead.
The pilot spent 40 years flying for the national carrier. Whether the investigation concludes with a formal penalty or not, Saturday's approach to the Westman Islands will follow him in a way that no routine retirement announcement would have done.
