[2] Rán's first rescue mission was on 18 November 1980, when it transported an ill lighthouse keeper from Hornstrandir to hospital in stormy weather conditions.
An extensive search began immediately by Óðinn and fishing boats in the area, as well from airplanes sent by the Civil Aviation Administration and the Icelandic Defense Force.
When it reached a depth of about 20 meters, a diving team started working on it and they found the bodies of two crew members in the helicopter, pilot Þórhallur Karlsson and flight engineer Bjarni Jóhannesson.
[20][21] The Icelandic Air Accident Committee, which was supported by a representative from the National Transportation Safety Board, concluded in its report that due to a design flaws in the sliders of the cabin door, it separated from the helicopter in flight and was deflected upwards into the main rotor, causing the crash.
[22] The crash and the loss of most of the ICG's most experienced aviation crewmembers, including its most senior member, captain Björn Jónsson, nearly caused the shutdown of its helicopter program.