It has been 30 years to the day, since Reno's most deadly tragedy. 70 people lost their lives when Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 crashed, shortly after takeoff, on January 21, 1985. The commercial charter plane left from what was then Reno-Canon Airport, shortly after 1 AM, headed to Minneapolis.Â
George Lamson, Jr. is the only person to survive Galaxy Flight 203. He was only 17 years old, when he boarded that plane 30 years ago. The plane crashed onto South Virginia Street, southwest of the runway. Â Mitch Nowicki was one of the first responders.
"From the looks of the crash site and the flame and debris, it was actually quite a miracle that there was anybody that survived," Nowicki said.
Lamson and two others were taken to area hospitals. The other two did not survive their injuries. Among the victims was his father, George, Sr.
Lamson and his daughter, Hannah, were at today's rededication ceremony for Galaxy Memorial Grove, in Rancho San Rafael Regional Park. He chose not to be interviewed. Troy Ehlers also made the trip to Reno for today's unveiling. The memorial has the name of the 70 people who died in the 1985 crash, including Ehlers' parents, Barbara and David.
"It changed everything about my life. I'm lucky I had family that were close and my aunt and uncle were able to take care of us."
Ehlers says the pain from that day is something he says he still carries with him.
"We've suffered with this for so many years," Ehlers said. "It means a lot to me that the people are still thinking about us and it brings me some closure."Â Â Â
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that an air access door had been left open and caused the plane to vibrate. But they concluded that probable cause of the crash was pilot error.
