Piper PA-28-140 N1684J

Summary

On 26 August 2025 at about 12:31 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N1684J, operated by Jarriel Investments Inc, was involved in an accident near Seneca, South Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

26 August 2025 at 12:31

Classification

Accident

Location

Seneca, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Oconee County Rgnl (CEU)

Coordinates

34.6835, -82.8678

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N1684J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1967

Engines

1

Operator

Jarriel Investments Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Jefferson → Seneca

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA25LA316

1 person had minor injuries.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On August 26, 2025, at 0831 eastern standard time, a Piper PA28-140, N1684J, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Seneca, South Carolina. The sole occupant, a student pilot, received minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The student pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to perform a cross-country flight as part of training to obtain a private pilot certificate. Prior to the flight, the student pilot performed a preflight inspection of the airplane and noted that “all appeared to be normal and functioning correctly.” After refueling the airplane with 25.2 gallons, the pilot estimated the airplane had 42 gallons of total fuel onboard. He also estimated that 7 gallons of fuel would be required for the round-trip flight. The takeoff and climb from Jackson County Airport (JCA), Jefferson, Georgia were reported to be uneventful. The cruise altitude was 5,500 ft mean sea level (msl). Cruise and the subsequent descent were also reported to be uneventful. The pilot planned to enter the midfield downwind leg of the traffic pattern for landing on runway 25 at Oconee County Regional Airport (CEU), Seneca, South Carolina. After he entered the traffic pattern on the downwind leg, he selected full flaps. When the airplane was about 600 ft above ground level (agl), during the downwind to base turn, the pilot stated that engine began “misfiring and then shut off.” The pilot adjusted pitch to maintain 80 miles per hour and aimed the airplane towards the runway. The pilot attempted to troubleshoot by switching fuel tanks, moving the mixture control to the full rich position, and opening and closing the throttle. At 100 ft agl, the pilot determined that gliding to the runway was unlikely and aimed for a nearby field. At 0831, surveillance camera footage showed a low wing airplane strike a utility pole, before it impacted the tree line. A Federal Aviation Administration Inspector examined the airplane at the accident site and noted that the wings, engine mounts and fuselage of the airplane sustained substantial damage. The wreckage was recovered and retained for further examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.