Aircraft model
PIPER PA-25-235
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Pawnee, Piper's agricultural aeroplane: a single-seat, 235 hp tailwheel machine with a chemical hopper ahead of the cockpit, a high seating position for visibility, and a structure designed to protect the pilot in a low-level impact. Thousands were built for crop spraying, and a large proportion of the survivors now work for gliding clubs, where the Pawnee is the standard tug on both sides of the Atlantic. Four versions share the designation. The original Pawnee ran from 1959; the Pawnee B of 1964 has a larger hopper and improved dispersal gear; the Pawnee C of 1967 gained oleo shock absorbers in the undercarriage, which makes it noticeably better behaved on rough ground; and the Pawnee D of 1974 moved the fuel from the fuselage into wing tanks, which is the single most important change for anyone who sits in the aeroplane, because it takes the fuel out of the cockpit area in an accident. For a tug buyer the C and D are the ones to look for.
That second career is what most buyers are interested in. As a glider tug it is excellent — powerful, robust, and easy to maintain — and clubs buy them specifically for it. As a purchase it needs to be assessed like working equipment: engine time, airframe hours, and above all corrosion from years of chemical exposure, which is what ultimately kills these airframes. It operates in the restricted category with the limitations that implies. It is a taildragger with 235 hp and a tall stance, so a tailwheel endorsement and real currency are required, and it is not a general-purpose aeroplane in any sense.
Compare with…
Put PIPER PA-25-235 side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA-25-235
What it is
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-540-B2B5 |
| Horsepower | 235 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1959 |
| Production end | 1982 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance;tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 100 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 300 nm |
| Service ceiling | — |
| Climb rate | 680 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | — |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,420 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,204 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,900 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,480 lb |
| Usable fuel | 36 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 13.2 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $65,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $90,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $45,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $64,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 2,338 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 347 |
| Median year built | 1966.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 23 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 5 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 66.281 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 2.882 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 33 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 9.513 |
| Airworthiness directives | 4 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 347 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 347 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 347 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 9.3 of 101 |
| Severity | 2.6 of 102 |
| Access | 5.7 of 103 |
| Support | 8.6 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 0.8 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 27 out of 506 |
These record scores treat PIPER PA-25-235 as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes the record of aircraft once registered as PIPER PA-25-235RESTD; includes the record of aircraft once registered under PIPER/MIDWEST AIR CENTER INC. Prices are not combined.
- Accident record: class median 29.1 · 174 models in class.
- Severity: class median 9.09.
- Access: class median 974.
- Support: class median 81.
- Liquidity: class median 20.47.
- 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.