Aircraft model
PIPER PA-32-301
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The fixed-gear Saratoga, with the longer tapered wing and the conventional tail that replaced the disliked T-tail Lances. It carries six people and a 1,610 lb useful load at 155 knots, and it does that without the retractable gear maintenance and insurance cost of the Saratoga SP.
For a family that needs six seats and does not need the extra fifteen knots, this is the sensible choice in the PA-32 line. The cabin is the widest in its class and the two separate baggage compartments are genuinely useful. Loading matters: with six aboard and the rearmost seats occupied the centre of gravity moves aft quickly and must be calculated. The IO-540 burns 16 to 17 gallons an hour and is expensive at overhaul. It lands fast and long compared with a high-wing Cessna and is not a short-strip aeroplane at gross.
Compare with…
Put PIPER PA-32-301 side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA-32-301
What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D |
| Horsepower | 300 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1980 |
| Production end | 1994 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 155 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 800 nm |
| Service ceiling | 14,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,000 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 57 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,500 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,600 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,610 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 998 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,600 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,990 lb |
| Usable fuel | 102 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 16.8 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $140,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $260,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $46,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $66,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 261 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 167 |
| Median year built | 1981.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 9 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 53.891 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 35.932 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 30 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 17.963 |
| 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 167 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 167 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 167 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 7+ seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 4.5 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)1 |
| Severity | 4.5 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)2 |
| Access | 6.7 of 103 |
| Support | 4.5 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 1.8 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 22 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 35.06 · 12 models in class.
- Severity: class median 19.51.
- Access: class median 1,122.75.
- Support: class median 183.5.
- Liquidity: class median 22.19.
- 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.