Cessna 185 accident near Nome, Alaska, April 23, 2015
On April 23, 2015 at about 8:40 pm local time, a 1966 Cessna 185, registered N4554F, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Nome, Alaska (Nome City Field). 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 failure of the left main landing gear leg for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 23, 2015 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Nome, Alaska · Nome City Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185, built 1966 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N4554F · registry record · serial 185-1057
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight in the wheel/ski-equipped airplane. The pilot reported that, just as the airplane became airborne, he heard a "loud bang" and that he then noticed that the left wheel/ski assembly had rotated up and near the left window. The pilot then chose to return to the departure runway for an emergency landing, and he crabbed the airplane into the wind to hold the wheel/ski assembly close to the airplane during the return flight back to the airport. During touchdown, as the airplane settled onto the runway, the left main landing gear leg contacted the ground and collapsed, and the left wing struck the ground. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the left main landing gear leg assembly fractured near the axle through bolts. The fractured gear leg and maintenance records were not made available for examination; therefore, the reason for the failure of the left main landing gear leg could not be determined.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear attach sec › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 25,500 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 25,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO520D (piston); 1,200 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 94Z Nome AK
- Destination: WMO White Mountain AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 03, 1,950 ft by 110 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.62 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from 94Z, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on December 14, 2016. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.