Cessna 185D accident near North Pole, Alaska, January 27, 1987
On January 27, 1987 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185D, registered N75LE, was substantially damaged in an accident near North Pole, Alaska. 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 27, 1987 · about 4:30 pm local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- North Pole, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185D · all 185Ds on the register
- Registration
- N75LE · registry record · serial 185-0870
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING THE RIGHT DOWNWIND APPROACH TO THE AIRSTRIP THE AIRCRAFT RAN OUT OF FUEL; THE ENGINE QUIT AND THEN HE ATTEMPTED AN EMERGENCY LANDING. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO LAND ON THE RWY. INSPECTION REVEALED NO FUEL IN THE ACFT AND THE FUEL GAUGES REGISTERED EMPTY.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 900 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 170 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,200 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, June 12, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MTF Fairbanks AK
- Destination: Bradley Sky Ran AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 N75LE the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N75LE on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 185 Skywagon 228 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,688 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-470F 9 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Metro Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,930 since 1982 · 826 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,143 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N75LE 4 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC87LA027.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.