Cessna 185F accident near Nome, Alaska, January 2, 1997
On January 2, 1997 at about 4:02 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N23CB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nome, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to properly verify the position of a fractured fuel selector handle, which resulted in fuel starvation and subsequent loss of engine power. A factor related to the accident was: the fractured handle that allowed the fuel selector to be rotated to an OFF position.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 2, 1997 · about 4:02 pm local time
- Place
- Nome, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N23CB · registry record · serial 18503331
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and passenger prepared to depart on a volunteer search and rescue flight. A front seat belt became lodged under the fuel selector handle located on the cockpit floor between the two front seats. When the seat belt was pulled loose, the long, pointer end of the fuel selector handle snapped off. The pilot positioned the remaining portion of the fuel selector to what appeared to be the 'BOTH' position. Just after takeoff, the engine suddenly quit, and the pilot performed an emergency landing on snow covered terrain. Following the accident, the pilot discovered he had positioned the fuel selector to the 'OFF' position. The loss of the pointer end of the selector handle allowed the selector to rotate 360 degrees.
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: 4,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 3,880 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,059 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 12, 1996; 156 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OME AK at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: -9°F (-23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from OME, 4 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.
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.