Cessna 185 accident near Barrow, Alaska, May 23, 1993
On May 23, 1993 at about 6:00 am local time, a Cessna 185, registered N75LE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Barrow, Alaska (Barrow airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 FATIGUE FRACTURE OF THE MAIN LANDING GEAR SPRING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 1993 · about 6:00 am local time
- Place
- Barrow, Alaska · Barrow · 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 185 · all 185s 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-IN-COMMAND BEGAN HIS TAKEOFF ROLL AND THE RIGHT MAIN WHEEL AND AXLE SEPARATED FROM THE GEAR LEG. THE GEAR LEG STUB STRUCK THE GROUND AND SEPARATED FROM THE GEAR BOX. THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE GROUND AND THE AIRPLANE'S WING WAS DRAGGED ON THE RUNWAY. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE PART SHOWED THERE WAS SMALL FATIGUE AREA BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE FRACTURE WAS 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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 303 hours in all; 260 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,216 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 30, 1992; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: BRW
- Destination: FAI Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 6, 6,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 22 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft; not recorded at 700 ft
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:52 pm from BRW
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 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 ANC93LA086.