Piper PA-28-235-B accident near Rion, South Carolina, September 1, 1985
On September 1, 1985 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-235-B, registered N9340W, was destroyed in an accident near Rion, South Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 1, 1985 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Rion, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-235-B PA-28-235- · all PA-28-235-Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9340W · no longer on the register · serial 2811026
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT HAD BEEN CRUISING AT 10,500 FT FOR SEVERAL MIN AND THEN INFORMED ATC THAT THEY WERE CLIMBING TO 12,500 FT DUE TO VFR. SHORTLY THERE AFTER THE ACFT DISAPPEARED FROM THE RADAR SCOPE. WITNESSES HEARD THE ENGINE MAKING AN UNUSUAL SOUND AND LOOKED UP AND SAW THE ACFT FALLING FROM THE SKY AND PARTS FALLING FROM IT. ONE WITNESS CLAIMED TO HAVE SEEN THE ACFT COME OUT OF A CLOUD. A SQUALL LINE AND HEAVY RAIN WERE REPORTED IN THE AREA A SHORT TIME LATER BY PEOPLE IN THE LOCAL AREA.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 125 hours in all; 125 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 85 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,892 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 9, 1984; 125 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6J7 Darlington SC at 9:00 pm
- Destination: MSL Muscle Shoals AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 pm from CAE, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
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.