Aircraft model
PIPER PA-28-180
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Cherokee 180, built from 1963 and the version of the original Cherokee that actually works as a four-seat aeroplane. With 180 hp, a 2,400 lb gross weight and 50 usable gallons, it carries four real adults with partial fuel or three with full tanks, and it does 120 knots. For years this was the standard low-cost family aeroplane and it is still one of the better value-for-money four-seaters on the used market.
The short constant-chord wing gives it a firm, slightly abrupt stall compared with the later tapered-wing Archers, and the rear seat is tight for adults on long trips. There is one door, on the right, which is a genuine inconvenience and an evacuation consideration. The engine is a plain carburetted Lycoming O-360 — cheap, reliable and understood everywhere. The important homework on any older PA-28 is the wing spar inspection status under the current airworthiness directive, along with corrosion checks and the condition of the fuel selector and tanks. Insurance and instruction are easy; the type is as mainstream as aviation gets.
Compare with…
Put PIPER PA-28-180 side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA-28-180
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-360-A3A |
| Horsepower | 180 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1963 |
| Production end | 1972 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 120 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 650 nm |
| Service ceiling | 15,700 ft |
| Climb rate | 750 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 50 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,620 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,150 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,170 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 870 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,400 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,230 lb |
| Usable fuel | 50 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 10.1 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $50,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $145,000 |
| 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 | 5,437 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 3,506 |
| Median year built | 1967.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 119 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 24 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 33.941 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 23.962 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 865 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 24.673 |
| Airworthiness directives | 11 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 3,506 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 3,506 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 3,506 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 6.3 of 101 |
| Severity | 2.9 of 102 |
| Access | 8.8 of 103 |
| Support | 9.9 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 8.2 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 36.1 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 28.36 · 202 models in class.
- Severity: class median 11.65.
- Access: class median 767.75.
- Support: class median 141.5.
- Liquidity: class median 19.57.
- 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.