Scene investigation, identification, and victim examination following the accident of Galaxy 203: disaster preplanning does work.

Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 crashed following takeoff from Reno-Cannon International Airport on 21 Jan. 1985. Sixty-eight persons on board the aircraft perished in the initial crash and resultant fire which followed. Two victims expired as a result of crash injuries within subsequent days and one passenger survived. A community disaster response plan was in place and had been practiced by local government agencies before this incident. The successes of this preplanned response, as well as methods of actual recovery, identification, and examination of the victims is presented.