Galaxy Airlines Flight 203

Galaxy Airlines Flight 203

The aircraft involved in the crash while still in operation with American Airlines as N6130A
Accident summary
Date	January 21, 1985
Summary	Pilot/Ground Crew error
Site	Reno, Nevada, United States 39°27′55″N 119°46′56″W / 39.465281°N 119.782223°W / 39.465281; -119.782223Coordinates: 39°27′55″N 119°46′56″W / 39.465281°N 119.782223°W / 39.465281; -119.782223
Passengers	65
Crew	6
Fatalities	70
Injuries (non-fatal)	1
Survivors	1 (George Lamson Jr.)
Aircraft type	Lockheed L-188A Electra
Operator	Galaxy Airlines
Registration	N5532
Flight origin	Reno-Cannon International Airport, Reno, Nevada
Destination	Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, Minneapolis, Minnesota

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, Minnesota. The aircraft crashed in 1985 shortly after takeoff; all but one of the 71 on board died.

The flight took off from runway 16R at Reno-Cannon International Airport (now Reno-Tahoe International Airport) at 1:04 am on January 21, 1985. A short time later, the aircraft crashed about 1.5 mi (2.4 km) from the end of the runway and burst into flames. It landed near a recreational vehicle dealership, and debris was scattered across US Highway 395 and South Virginia Street. Of the 71 people aboard, three survived the initial impact, but one of them died on January 29 and another on February 4. The lone survivor was then 17-year-old George Lamson Jr., who was thrown clear of the aircraft and landed upright, still in his seat, on South Virginia Street. (His father, George Lamson Sr., was one of the three initial survivors of the crash along with Robert Miggins but both later succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.)

Truckee Meadows Fire Department was the first emergency response department to arrive at the scene of the crash. Several other Washoe County and State of Nevada agencies also responded. George Kitchen, who was a fire captain in the Reno Fire Department leading a crew from station No. 6 in south Reno, noted, "One of the first things we saw was the boy. He was still strapped in his seat out on South Virginia Street. He was conscious. We gave him first aid until the medics got there." Lamson gave an interview shortly after the crash in which he stated that he was able to walk away from his seat prior to the aircraft exploding. Lamson's testimony is substantiated by the owner of the Magic Carpet Mini Golf Course, who witnessed the crash and called in to emergency services. He states the boy was up and walking before the arrival of emergency services. The owner reported it took longer for the fire department to get there because they did not believe his call reporting a plane crash.