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).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 27, 1987 · about 4:30 pm local time
- 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
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC87LA027.