Galaxy Airlines Flight 203
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| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | January 21, 1985 |
| Type | Pilot/Ground Crew error |
| Site | Reno, Nevada, USA |
| Fatalities | 70 |
| Injuries | 1 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed Electra 188 |
| Operator | Galaxy Airlines |
| Tail number | N5532 |
| Passengers | 65 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Survivors | 1 |
Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 was a Lockheed L-188 Electra 4-engine turboprop, registration N5532, operating as a non-scheduled charter flight from Reno, Nevada to Minneapolis, Minnesota. The flight took off from runway 16R at Reno-Cannon International Airport — now Reno/Tahoe International Airport — at 1:04am on January 21, 1985.
A short time later, the plane crashed about 1.5 miles from the end of the runway and burst into flames. It landed near an RV park, and debris was scattered across a highway. Of the 71 people aboard, three survived the initial impact, but one of them died on January 29 and another on February 4. The lone survivor was then 17-year old George Lamson Jr., who was thrown clear of the aircraft and landed upright, still in his seat, on South Virginia Street.
George Kitchen, who was a captain in the Reno Fire Department leading a crew from station No. 6 in south Reno, noted, "One of the first things we saw was the boy. He was still strapped in his seat out on South Virginia Street. He was conscious. We gave him first aid until the medics got there."
A store and seven RV's were also damaged. The plane was returning from a gaming/Super Bowl trip sponsored by Caesars Tahoe.
Heavy vibration started shortly after takeoff, and the cockpit voice recorders recorded one of the pilots asking the tower to allow them to make a left downwind turn, that they had to get back on the ground.
[edit] Investigation
The NTSB investigated the accident, and issued the following Probable Cause:
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the captain’s failure to control and the copilot’s failure to monitor the flight path and airspeed of the aircraft. This breakdown in crew coordination followed the onset of unexpected vibration shortly after takeoff.
The NTSB added the following Contributing Factor:
Contributing to the accident was the failure of ground handlers to properly close an air start access door, which led to the vibration.
