Two pilots of a packed Boeing 757 with as many as 181 passengers on board, who were involved in a ‘crazy’ low altitude fly pass of a built-up area close to Reykjavik, Iceland, in April, have been temporarily stripped of their pilot licenses following an investigation by local authorities.
The incident involved Icelandair flight FI-521, which was operating a regularly scheduled service from Frankfurt to Reykjavik on April 11. As the plane was on approach to land in Reykjavik, local residents were shocked to see it fly at an unusually low altitude over the Icelandic island of Vestmannaeyjar.
ICELANDAIR REPORTS OWN PILOT TO POLICE OVER LOW FLYOVER INCIDENT.
— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) April 11, 2026
Icelandair has taken a serious stance after one of its pilots allegedly flew a Boeing 757 (TF-ISR) below permitted altitude, nearly 100 m/328 ft over Vestmannaeyjar, during his final flight before retirement.
The… pic.twitter.com/DwjzuV3L0z
Residents of the island reported feeling their houses physically shake as the plane roared overhead, with some calling emergency services because they were concerned that the plane was in trouble.
It later transpired, however, that the Captain was operating his last ever commercial flight before retirement, and that he grew up in Vestmannaeyjar, so was performing the fly pass as a nod to his roots.
According to the flight tracking website Flight Radar 24, the exact altitude that the Boeing 757 was flying at the time of the fly pass wasn’t recorded because of nearby cliffs that blocked accurate transmission data.
Icelandair immediately distanced itself from the actions of the Captain, saying the fly pass was done without the airline’s permission or knowledge.
A spokesperson for the airline said they had even reported the incident to the police.
The Icelandic Transport Authority has now concluded its investigation into the actions of the two pilots on this flight and has decided to temporarily strip them of their flying licenses. The Captain has had his licence revoked for two years, while the First Officer has had his licence suspended for one year.
Icelandair says it has also concluded an internal investigation, but says the results remain confidential and will not be made public.
While Icelandair didn’t give the Captain permission to mark his retirement with a low altitude fly pass, some airlines do give their pilots some discretion to mark this milestone.
In March 2024, a retiring Captain for German flag carrier Lufthansa caused some controversy on his very last flight as he ‘waved’ goodbye with a so-called wing tip manoeuvre during departure from Los Angeles International Airport.
As the Boeing 747 jumbojet took off and while it was still in its initial ascent, the aircraft ‘tipped’ to the right as if the aircraft was waving and then returned to a steady climb into the grey skies surrounding Los Angeles Airport.
Many airlines expressly prohibit retiring pilots from performing non-standard maneuvers as a way of celebrating their final flight, but wingtips seem to be a tradition at Lufthansa.
In many cases, flight attendants will announce what is going to happen prior to takeoff to reassure jittery passengers before the maneuver takes place.
Want to see more stories like this? Add PYOK as a preferred source on Google, and we'll show up more often in your searches and Google News.
Add PYOK as a Preferred Source
