Cessna 185F accident near Barrow, Alaska, October 31, 1997
On October 31, 1997 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N61500, was substantially damaged in an accident near Barrow, Alaska (Chip 12 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 visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for takeoff, and his delay in aborting the takeoff. A factor in the accident was the presence of gravel/sand in the takeoff area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 31, 1997 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Barrow, Alaska · Chip 12 · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N61500 · no longer on the register · serial 18504217
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and sole passenger were departing a remote camp airstrip in a wheel/ski-equipped airplane on an air taxi flight. The airstrip was 1,200 feet long. The pilot calculated a required takeoff distance of 800 feet. During the takeoff run in an uphill direction, the airplane skis encountered sandy surface conditions, and the airplane did not accelerate as anticipated. The takeoff run was continued beyond the end of the runway onto the frozen surface of a river. The pilot decided to abort the takeoff, and closed the throttle. The airplane collided with the river bank and received damage to the landing gear and wings.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all; 230 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 2,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,106 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 29, 1997; 79 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: BRW AK
- Runway 7, 1,200 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: -8°F (-22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N61500 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.