Aircraft model
PIPER AEROSTAR 601P
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Aerostar is a Ted Smith design, later built by Piper, and it is the fastest piston twin ever produced: 220 knots on 290 hp a side from a very small, very clean airframe with a mid-mounted wing. The 601P adds pressurisation. Nothing else in the class is close on speed. The 601P appeared in 1974 with a 4.25 psi cabin, and very early in the run — from about the tenth aircraft — gained the longer 36.7-foot wing and a 6,000 lb gross weight, so almost every 601P has those. After Piper bought the company in 1978 it fitted an improved wastegate that raised the engines' critical altitude from 16,000 to 21,500 feet, which is the difference between an aeroplane that can use its pressurisation and one that cannot, and added a known-icing package of boots. In 1981 the 602P, with engines and turbochargers certified as a package by Lycoming, began to replace it, and the 601P ran out in 1984. For a buyer the Piper-era aircraft, 1978 on, with the better wastegates and boots are the ones to look for.
The speed comes from a small wing, and that is the trade. Approach and stall speeds are high, the aeroplane needs more runway than its size suggests, and it is unforgiving of slow flying — it demands a disciplined pilot and is not a first twin. The systems are idiosyncratic, with a fuel arrangement and hydraulics unlike anything else, and the type needs a mechanic who knows it. Parts support has passed through several owners and depends on specialists. Flown by someone current and maintained properly it is remarkable; bought casually it is a trap.
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Put PIPER AEROSTAR 601P side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER AEROSTAR 601P
What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 2 |
| Engine | Lycoming TIO-540-S1A5 (turbocharged) |
| Horsepower | 290 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | FAR23 |
| Production start | 1974 |
| Production end | 1984 |
| Endorsements required | complex;high-performance;multi-engine |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 220 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 1,000 nm |
| Service ceiling | 25,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,460 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 72 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 2,200 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 2,100 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 2,000 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,010 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 6,000 lb |
| Empty weight | 4,000 lb |
| Usable fuel | 165 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 33.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $150,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $340,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $62,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $88,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 239 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 108 |
| Median year built | 1979.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 4 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 37.041 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 37.042 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 23 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 21.33 |
| Airworthiness directives | 3 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 108 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 108 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 108 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing multi-engine, piston, 2 engines, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 1.2 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)1 |
| Severity | 2.3 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)2 |
| Access | 1.3 of 103 |
| Support | 8.6 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 6 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 19.4 out of 506 |
These record scores treat PIPER AEROSTAR 601P as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 92 aircraft registered under SMITH. Prices are not combined.
- Accident record: class median 28.74 · 56 models in class.
- Severity: class median 33.33.
- Access: class median 2,812.25.
- Support: class median 57.
- Liquidity: class median 21.91.
- 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.