Galaxy Airlines Flight 203

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/St Paul, which crashed on January 21, 1985, shortly after takeoff. All but 1 of the 71 on board died.

Background

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Lockheed L-188A Electra, registration N5532. It had accumulated a total of 34,149 flight hours at the time of the crash, including 33,285 flight cycles. It was powered by four Allison 501D13 engines.

Crew

The crew consisted of Captain Allen D. Heasley (age 49), First Officer Kevin Charles Fieldsa (27), Flight Engineer Marc Charles Freels (23) and three flight attendants. Captain Heasley was a highly experienced pilot, having accumulated 14,500 flight hours, of which 5,600 were in the L-188. First Officer Fieldsa had accumulated 5,000 flight hours, of which 172 were in the L-188. Flight Engineer Freels had accumulated 262 flight hours, all of which were in the L-188.

Accident

File:Lockheed L-188 Electra, American Airlines JP7179643.jpg

The aircraft involved in the crash while still in operation with American Airlines as N6130A

The flight, which was returning from a gambling and Super Bowl trip sponsored by Caesars Tahoe, took off from runway 16R at Reno-Cannon International Airport (now Reno–Tahoe International Airport) at 1:04 am on January 21, 1985. Heavy vibration started shortly after takeoff, and the pilots asked the tower for permission to make a left downwind turn, saying they needed to land. A short time later, the aircraft crashed about from the end of the runway and burst into flames. Debris was scattered across US Highway 395 and South Virginia Street; a store and several vehicles on the ground were damaged. Of the 71 people aboard, three initially survived. One died on January 29 and another on February 4. The sole survivor was a 17-year-old boy who was thrown clear of the aircraft and landed upright, conscious and still in his seat, on South Virginia Street.

Investigation

File:Airstart1.jpg

Air start door sketch (from NTSB report)

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Air start door location (from NTSB report)

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the probable cause of the accident was Template:Quote

The NTSB found that ground handlers did not properly close the air start access door due to an interruption in their procedures: when a supervisor realized that the headset used for communication with the flight crew was not working, he switched to using hand signals mid-routine. In the confusion the supervisor signaled the flight to taxi before the air start hose had been disconnected. After the supervisor realized his error and signaled the flight crew to make an emergency stop, the hose was successfully disconnected but the air start access door was not closed.

The report concluded that the open access door caused vibrations which distracted the pilots, though they would likely not have prevented the aircraft from reaching cruise speed and altitudeTemplate:Sndthere had been reports from other Electra pilots that the vibrations ceased at higher air speeds. The pilots reduced power to all four engines simultaneously, presumably to see whether they were the source of the vibrations, and did not restore power quickly enough to prevent a stall.

Aftermath

A memorial called Galaxy Grove was dedicated at Rancho San Rafael in 1986. After the plaque was stolen in 2013, a two-ton granite replacement was installed.

See also

• List of sole survivors of airline accidents or incidents

External links

• Plane Crashes Since 1970 with a Sole Survivor at airsafe.com.