Lockheed 188C accident near Reno, Nevada, January 21, 1985
On January 21, 1985 at about 9:04 am local time, a Lockheed 188C, registered N5532, was destroyed in an accident near Reno, Nevada (Reno Cannon Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 70 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 21, 1985 · about 9:04 am local time
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · Reno Cannon Intl
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 70 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lockheed 188C
- Registration
- N5532 · no longer on the register · serial 1121
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,500 hours in all; 5,600 in this make and model; 123 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 34,148 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 116,000 lb
- Seats: 102
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison 501-D13 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Galaxy Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Destination: MSP Minneapolis MN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16R, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:25 am from RNO, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 64 | 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.