The man who died in the plane crash west of Akureyri Sunday was Arthur Grant Wagstaff, an experienced Canadian pilot, born in 1959, according to RÚV. He was dead by the time crews reached the wreck.
The survivor, Arngrímur Jóhannsson, former owner of Air Atlanta, was conscious when rescue workers found him and had been able to get out of the wreck on his own, RÚV reports. His condition is not life threatening, but he is reported to have suffered burns on his hands and face. He was transported by the Coast Guard (Landhelgisgæsla) helicopter to Akureyri and from there by medical flight to Reykjavík.
According to the website of the Icelandic Aviation Museum in Akureyri, the aircraft was a single-engine Beaver seaplane, with the registration number N610LC. It was built in 1960, but crashed three years later during takeoff south of Nairobi, Kenya. In 1999, the plane was rebuilt in Canada, as well as in Minnesota. It wasn’t flown again until 2007. Arngrímur purchased the aircraft in 2008. He and his friend Grant Wagstaff then flew the plane from the US to Iceland—a trip which took 18 days.
The Icelandic Aircraft Accident Investigation Board is investigating the cause of the accident. The investigation may take up to three years to be completed, RÚV reports. Preliminary results may be published in a month. The wreck was transported to Reykjavík by truck last night. It will be placed in a hangar at Reykjavík Airport where the investigation continues. The on-site investigation is complete.
