A veteran Icelandair pilot's apparent hometown goodbye is now a police matter. The airline says it has reported the now-retired captain after he allegedly took a Boeing 757 far below normal limits for a low pass over Vestmannaeyjar during his final commercial flight on Saturday, Simple Flying reports. The Frankfurt-to-Keflavik flight was carrying passengers at the time, and the maneuver over Vestmannaeyjar, the main town in an archipelago southeast of Reykjavik, was not in the approved flight plan, airline authorities say. On social media, some residents said they were afraid the plane was going to crash, reports Iceland Monitor.
Flight-tracking data shows the jet dropping to about 328 feet above the ground—well under standard minimum altitudes for commercial flights over populated areas—and residents described noticeable noise and vibration. Icelandair has opened an internal probe and referred the case to law enforcement and transport authorities, while regulators weigh whether safety rules were breached or people were put at risk. Linda Gunnarsdottir, the airline's senior flight operations manager, tells RUV that the pilot didn't seek authorization, and it's unlikely that it would have been granted if he had done so.
Gunnarsdottir says she's not aware of any complaints from passengers or Vestmannaeyjar residents. Passenger Gudfridur Lilja Gretarsdottir, a former lawmaker, says it was an "extraordinary experience," RUV reports. She says they were told it was the pilot's final flight and he would fly over his hometown to treat them to a beautiful view. "There was repeated applause on the aircraft. It was therefore clear inside the aircraft that this was done in goodwill as a gift, to allow passengers to enjoy a unique view over Iceland and Vestmannaeyjar on this final flight," she says. "All the passengers around me were moved, grateful, and happy. "
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