Icelandair 757 pilots disciplined after unauthorised low pass over islands

Flight Global ^ | july 22, 2026 | David Kaminsky Murrow

[xxqqzz]

Icelandic regulators have disciplined two pilots who carried out an unauthorised low pass in a Boeing 757-200 while conducting a scheduled flight from Frankfurt.

The Icelandair aircraft was bound for Reykjavik on 11 April.

But it descended from the normal altitude to pass over Vestmannaeyjar airport on the Westman Islands – apparently below 2,000ft – before climbing away.

The Icelandic Transport Authority has determined that the flight was “not conducted in compliance with applicable aviation regulations”.

It has decided to suspend temporarily the licences of the two pilots – one for 24 months and the other for 12 months – but is also referring one of the cases to the police.

The authority adds that it has still to conclude an assessment of the airline’s potential responsibility in the matter.

“No decision has yet been made regarding the operator,” it says.

According to the authority, the decisions are subject to appeal to the country’s ministry of infrastructure.

Icelandair had previously stated that the flight was not authorised and was carried out without the knowledge of the carrier’s management.

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KEYWORDS: icelandair

[xxqqzz]

Pilot flew really low on last flight before retirement. Copilot who was not planning on retiring also had his license suspended. Pilot has been charged criminally. This sort of thing is entertaining until it is not. Crashes have happened through this sort of thing. Ship captain caused deaths and $1 billion in damage screwing around like that.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Seems unfair to discipline the copilot. What could he have done to stop the captain?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The classic way for private pilots to die is while buzzing their own homes.

[dfwgator]

“Negative, Ghostrider, the pattern is full!”

[doorgunner69]

Humorless euros.

Must be all that cold weather

[mass55th]

The article says this flight was April 11th. When I saw Icelandair, I went back in my trash to find the itinerary my oldest son had sent me earlier this year to check the date of his trip this past April because I couldn’t remember the exact date. He usually flies Lufthansa, but the dates he was scheduled to fly, Lufthansa staff were on strike, so he had to reschedule all his flights with other airlines. After checking his intoners, he first flew Southwest Airlines into BWI on April 16th, and flew out of BWI on Icelandic Air to Prague. He wasn’t in the airport that long before he had to catch his flight, but he managed to find me an Iceland magnet for my fridge.

[Does so]

Ever since both pilot and co-pilot entered their Miami cockpit fully drunk, I’ll appreciate full enforcement of flight regulations.