Cessna 402C accident near Nome, Alaska, February 20, 1993
On February 20, 1993 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Cessna 402C, registered N4182G, was destroyed in an accident near Nome, Alaska (Nome airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT IN COMMAND NOT REMOVING THE ICE FROM THE PLANE'S AIRFOIL SURFACES BEFORE TAKEOFF. THE WEATHER CONDITION WAS A FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 20, 1993 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Nome, Alaska · Nome · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402C · all 402Cs on the register
- Registration
- N4182G · registry record · serial 402C0284
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS REMOVED FROM A HANGER ABOUT ONE HOUR BEFORE DEPARTURE. DURING THE INTERIM PERIOD, THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 32 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT AND IT WAS SNOWING LIGHTLY. NO DEICING FLUID WAS USED ON THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT REPORTED OBSERVING ONLY WATER ON THE PLANE'S WINGS. THE PASSENGER (A RATED PILOT) REPORTED TO AN ALASKA STATE TROOPER THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD ACCUMULATED A LITTLE ICE BEFORE THE FLIGHT DEPARTED. THE AIRPLANE BECAME AIRBORNE ABOUT 1,000 FT FROM THE END OF THE 5,576 FT LONG RUNWAY. SHORTLY AFTER ROTATION, THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO BUFFET AND WOULD NOT CLIMB. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED IN A NEAR HORIZONTAL ATTITUDE ON LEVEL SNOW COVERED TUNDRA. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT IMMEDIATELY AFTER EXITING THE AIRPLANE, HE OBSERVED A COARSE LAYER OF ICE ON THE AFT TWO THIRDS OF THE WINGS. DURING THE TEST RUN OF BOTH ENGINES, NO PROBLEMS WERE NOTED THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED AND/OR CONTRIBUTED TOWARD THE INABILITY OF THE AIRPLANE TO SUSTAIN FLIGHT.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,201 hours in all; 736 in this make and model; 198 in the last 90 days; 95 in the last 30 days; 2,982 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,905 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 6, 1993; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,850 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-VB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ryan Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: OME at 12:59 pm
- Destination: SVA Savoonga AK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 2, 5,576 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,400 ft; scat at 800 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from OME, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N4182G 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 ANC93FA034.