Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-14 incident near Reno, Nevada, March 27, 1985
On March 27, 1985, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-14, registered N85AS, was involved in an incident near Reno, Nevada. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 41 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 27, 1985
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 41 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-14 · all DC-9-14s on the register
- Registration
- N85AS · registry record · serial 45711
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER A GROUND TIME OF 36 MINUTES DURING RAIN/WET SNOW THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED RENO. DURING THE CLIMB IN BELOW FREEZING CONDITIONS THE CREW EXPERIENCED ELEVATOR PITCH CONTROL DIFFICULTIES WHICH PERSISTED UNTIL THE DESCENT INTO SEATTLE. EXAMINATION OF THE ELEVATORS REVEALED WATER WITHIN THE INBOARD SECTION OF BOTH ASSEMBLIES AND MISSING SEALANT MATERIAL ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE LEFT ELEVATOR PANEL.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 2,100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 34,276 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 16, 1985; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 91,500 lb
- Seats: 85
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7B (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: All Star Airlines,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: RNO Reno NV
- Destination: SEA Seattle WA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 | |||
| Passengers | 37 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA85IA080.