Aircraft model
PIPER PA-32-260
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Cherokee Six 260, introduced in 1965: a stretched Cherokee with a 260 hp six-cylinder Lycoming, six or seven seats, a big rear double door and a nose baggage locker. Piper built it as the light aeroplane equivalent of a station wagon, and that is exactly how it is used — families, small charter operations, jump pilots, and anyone who needs to move six people or a lot of bulky cargo without moving up to a twin.
Its great virtue is that the useful load is genuinely usable: about 1,700 lb, so six adults with bags and useful fuel actually fit, which is rare. It is not fast — 136 knots for 14 gallons an hour is mediocre efficiency — and it is not a short-field aeroplane when loaded. Loading requires attention because the long cabin gives it a wide centre-of-gravity range that is easy to exceed at the aft end with people in the rearmost seats. The O-540 is durable but expensive to overhaul, and fuel management across four tanks needs a disciplined routine. The wing spar airworthiness directive affecting PA-28s also has a PA-32 dimension worth verifying.
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Put PIPER PA-32-260 side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA-32-260
What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-540-E4B5 |
| Horsepower | 260 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1965 |
| Production end | 1979 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 136 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 750 nm |
| Service ceiling | 14,500 ft |
| Climb rate | 850 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 54 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,300 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,000 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,701 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,197 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,400 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,699 lb |
| Usable fuel | 84 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 14.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $72,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $200,000 |
| 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 | 1,293 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 650 |
| Median year built | 1967.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 50 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 16 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 76.921 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 56.922 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 133 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 20.463 |
| Airworthiness directives | 5 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 650 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 650 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 650 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 2.2 of 101 |
| Severity | 1.9 of 102 |
| Access | 9.7 of 103 |
| Support | 9.1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 6.8 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 29.7 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 38.47 · 74 models in class.
- Severity: class median 16.67.
- Access: class median 1,823.
- Support: class median 96.
- Liquidity: class median 17.67.
- 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.