Aircraft model
PIPER PA-32-301T
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Turbo Saratoga with fixed gear: the tapered-wing six-seat PA-32 with a turbocharged 300 hp Lycoming but without the retractable undercarriage. It cruises at 178 knots in the high teens and carries 1,530 lb, which is a strong combination for a family aeroplane.
It is the sensible middle choice in the PA-32 line for anyone who wants the altitude capability without the retractable gear maintenance and insurance cost. The turbocharged Lycoming runs hot, is expensive at overhaul, and drives an exhaust and turbocharger system needing careful annual inspection — cracks there are both a power loss and a carbon monoxide risk. Without pressurisation, flying in the high teens means oxygen for everyone, which with six aboard is a real chore. Aft loading with the rearmost seats occupied needs calculating.
Compare with…
Put PIPER PA-32-301T side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA-32-301T
What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD (turbocharged) |
| Horsepower | 300 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1980 |
| Production end | 1987 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 178 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 800 nm |
| Service ceiling | 20,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,075 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 | 1,530 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 918 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,600 lb |
| Empty weight | 2,070 lb |
| Usable fuel | 102 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 17.4 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $140,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $290,000 |
| 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 | 104 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 81 |
| Median year built | 1981.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 37.04 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 24.69 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 15 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 18.52 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 4 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 81 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 81 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 81 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 7+ seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 5 of 103 |
| Support | 5.6 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 3.8 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 28.99 · 17 models in class.
- Severity: class median 25.
- Access: class median 1,586.8.
- Support: class median 76.
- Liquidity: class median 20.59.
- 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.