Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82 incident near Reno, Nevada, August 19, 1994
On August 19, 1994 at about 6:04 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82, registered N954AS, was involved in an incident near Reno, Nevada (Reno Tahoe Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 6 people had minor injuries; 113 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE AREA SUPERVISOR/DEPARTURE CONTROLLER (SUPVR/CTLR) TO STAY AT HIS RADAR POSITION AND ENSURE THAT REQUIRED COMMUNICATIONS WERE MAINTAINED. FACTORS RELATED TO THE INCIDENT WERE: FAILURE OF THE LOCAL TOWER CONTROLLER INSTRUCT THE FLIGHTCREW OF ASA601 (N954AS) TO CONTACT DEPARTURE CONTROL, FAILURE OF THE ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE CONTROLLERS TO ISSUE TRAFFIC ADVISORIES, SUPERVISOR/DEPARTURE CONTROLLER'S DIVERTED ATTENTION, AND INTERMITTENT OPERATION OF THE TRANSPONDER IN THE MOONEY, THUS NOT ACTIVATING THE TCAS OF ASA601.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 1994 · about 6:04 pm local time
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · Reno Tahoe Intl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 6 people had minor injuries; 113 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82
- Registration
- N954AS · registry record · serial 49387
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT 601 (ASA601), N954AS, WAS ON A STANDARD INSTRUMENT DEPARTURE WHEN IT NEARLY COLLIDED WITH A MOONEY M20C, N91Y. THE MOONEY WAS TRANSITING THE RENO AIRSPACE AT 12,500 FEET MSL AND HAD JUST BEEN HANDED OFF FROM THE TRACON DEPARTURE CONTROLLER TO THE ARRIVAL CONTROLLER. THE LOCAL CONTROLLER DID NOT INFORM ASA601 TO CONTACT DEPARTURE CONTROL AFTER TAKEOFF. DURING ASA601'S INITIAL CLIMB, THE DEPARTURE CONTROLLER/AREA MANAGER LEFT HIS POSITION TO ANSWER A PHONE CALL FROM A FACILITY TECHNICIAN TO DISCUSS TRACON BUSINESS. AT THE SAME TIME, THE ARRIVAL CONTROLLER WAS TELLING THE MOONEY TO CHANGE TRANSPONDER CODES IN PREPARATION FOR A HANDOFF TO CENTER; AT THAT TIME, THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION BETWEEN THE MOONEY PILOT AND THE CONTROLLER ABOUT THE TRANSPONDER CODE. THE ARRIVAL CONTROLLER SAID HE DID NOT SEE THE DATA BLOCK FOR ASA601 BECAUSE HIS ATTENTION WAS DIVERTED TO THE MOONEY. THE CHANGING OF THE TRANSPONDER CODE AND THE MOONEY'S INTERMITTENT MODE C TRANSPONDER KEPT ASA601'S TCAS SYSTEM FROM ACQUIRING THE MOONEY. AFTER HIS PHONE CALL, THE DEPARTURE CONTROLLER TRIED TO CALL ASA601, BUT WITHOUT SUCCESS. HE THEN CALLED THE LOCAL CONTROLLER AND WAS INFORMED OF THE NEAR COLLISION.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 128,100 lb
- Seats: 172
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-217 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alaska Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: RNO at 5:58 pm
- Destination: SEA Seattle WA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16L, 6,057 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from RNO, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | 3 | ||
| Passengers | 4 | 110 |
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 N954AS 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.