Cessna 180J incident near Nome, Alaska, December 20, 2014
On December 20, 2014 at about 7:30 pm local time, a 1973 Cessna 180J, registered N393B, suffered minor damage in an incident during takeoff near Nome, Alaska (Nome Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The disengagement and subsequent binding of the right tailwheel steering cable, which disabled the rudder system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 2014 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Nome, Alaska · Nome Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180J, built 1973 · all 180Js on the register
- Registration
- N393B · registry record · serial 18052299
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, shortly after takeoff, the airplane made an uncommanded hard right turn. He attempted to correct for the right turn with left rudder, but the airplane continued turning right. The pilot then input nearly full left aileron, and the airplane began a gradual left turn. After the pilot returned the ailerons to the neutral position, the airplane again immediately turned right. The pilot corrected with left aileron and then made an emergency landing to the departure runway. During the emergency landing, the airplane veered right, exited the runway, and impacted a snow berm, which resulted in minor damage to the landing gear. Examination of the rudder control system revealed that the right tailwheel steering cable had jumped off its pulley and became bound between the pulley and the pulley bracket, which disabled the rudder system. The pulley's guard pin was in place, and the steering cable had separated about 9 inches from the rudder bellcrank and exhibited features consistent with overload.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Flight control sys malf/fail during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Rudder control system › Malfunction
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 345 hours in all; 240 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 1.6 in the last 30 days; 300 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 14, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,753.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 31, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAOM Nome AK
- Destination: PAOM Nome AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 6,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 9°F (-13°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.29 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N393B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.