Piper PA-31 Navajo and Chieftain

The Navajo, Piper's eight-to-ten-seat unpressurised twin built 1967-1984 and the backbone of American commuter and air-taxi flying through the 1970s and 1980s: the 310 hp Navajo (PA-31/PA-31-310), the 325 hp Navajo C/R with counter-rotating propellers, and the stretched 350 hp Chieftain (PA-31-350).

The variants

MODEL	YEARS	ACTIVE	TAILFAX SCORE	WHAT CHANGED
PA-31	1967–1980	26	Partial 11.9/30	Registry spelling of the 310 hp Navajo
PA-31-310	1967–1980	128	17.5/50	310 hp Navajo and Navajo B/C
PA-31-350	1973–1984	398	31.4/50	Chieftain: stretched, 350 hp
PA-31-325	1975–1984	137	Partial 16.8/30	Navajo C/R: 325 hp counter-rotating

Family fleet, active

689

FAA registry

NTSB events / 1,000, 10 yrs

53.7

37 events over 689 active aircraft, pooled across the family

Successor

Piper PA-31T Cheyenne

Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · scores Sep 30