Lockheed 188C N5532

Summary

On 21 January 1985 at about 09:04 local time, a Lockheed 188C registered N5532, operated by Galaxy Airlines, Inc., was involved in an accident near Reno, Nevada, United States. 71 people were on board and 70 died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

21 January 1985 at 09:04

Classification

Accident

Location

Reno, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Reno Cannon Intl (RNO)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Lockheed 188C

Registration

N5532

Category

Airplane

Engines

4

Operator

Galaxy Airlines, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Minneapolis

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

DCA85AA010

70 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

SHORTLY AFTER GALAXY AIRLINES FLT 203 LIFTED OFF FROM RWY 16R, THE COPLT TRANSMITTED THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO 'MAKE A LEFT DOWNWIND, WE GOTTA GET BACK ON THE GROUND.' HE THEN RPRTD THAT THERE WAS A HVY VIBRATION IN THE ACFT. FLT 203 WAS CLEARED AS REQUESTED, BUT A SHORT TIME LATER, THE ACFT DSCNDD & CRASHED ABOUT 1-1/2 MI FROM THE RWY. INVESTIGATION REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE GROUND HANDLERS HAD FAILED TO PROPERLY CLOSE AN AIR START ACCESS DOOR, WHILE THEY WERE SERVICING THE ACFT, DUE TO A DISRUPTION. INFO FROM THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER (CVR) INDICATED THAT AFTER THE DOOR BEGAN VIBRATING, POWER WAS REDUCED IN ALL 4 ENGS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT BEGAN BUFFETING & LOST EXCESSIVE ALTITUDE BEFORE POWER WAS RESTORED. WHEN THE ACFT CRASHED, A STORE & 7 RECREATIONAL VEHICLES WERE ALSO DAMAGED.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.