Aircraft model
BEECH B23
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The B23 Musketeer Custom is the 180 hp version, and it is the direct predecessor of the C23 Sundowner that replaced it. The extra power over the 165 hp aircraft is worth having but does not transform the aeroplane: it still cruises at only 118 knots, because the airframe is heavy and draggy for its class.
That is the type's whole story. It is roomier and better made than a Cherokee or a 172, it has two doors, and it is slower than either on the same power. Prices reflect that and it is reasonable value if cabin comfort matters more than speed. The Lycoming O-360 is cheap to maintain. Beech-specific airframe parts are the recurring cost annoyance, and the Musketeer family's many closely related designations make it worth confirming exactly which variant you are looking at.
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Put BEECH B23 side by side with up to two other models.
- BEECH B23
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-360-A4G |
| Horsepower | 180 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1968 |
| Production end | 1969 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 118 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 700 nm |
| Service ceiling | 12,600 ft |
| Climb rate | 790 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 54 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,955 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,400 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,000 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 658 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,400 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,400 lb |
| Usable fuel | 57 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 10.1 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $40,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $100,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $32,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $46,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 179 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 62 |
| Median year built | 1969.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 5 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 80.65 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 80.65 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 9 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 14.52 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 62 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 62 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 62 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 9 of 103 |
| Support | 2.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 1.4 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 32.28 · 202 models in class.
- Severity: class median 12.5.
- Access: class median 775.
- Support: class median 147.5.
- Liquidity: class median 19.9.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.