Aircraft model
PIPER PA-32RT-300
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Lance II, built 1978-1979: the retractable six-seat Cherokee Six with a T-tail. It carries a genuine 1,590 lb — six adults, bags and useful fuel — at about 155 knots, which is a rare combination of load and speed at this price, and it has the big rear double door that makes loading easy.
The T-tail is the thing buyers argue about and it is a real difference, not a marketing point. With the elevator above the propeller wash the aeroplane needs more speed before the nose will lift, so the takeoff run is longer, the rotation vaguer, and the handling at low speed less reassuring — particularly relevant on a heavy six-seater operating from shorter runways. The 1976-77 conventional-tail Lance sells for more as a direct result. Beyond that: 16-17 gallons an hour, an expensive IO-540 overhaul, retractable gear maintenance, and a centre of gravity that moves aft quickly with the rearmost seats occupied and must be calculated every time.
Compare with…
Put PIPER PA-32RT-300 side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA-32RT-300
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 | 1978 |
| Production end | 1979 |
| Endorsements required | complex;high-performance |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 155 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 800 nm |
| Service ceiling | 14,600 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,000 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 56 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,660 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,710 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,590 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,026 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,600 lb |
| Empty weight | 2,010 lb |
| Usable fuel | 94 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 16.8 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $130,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $215,000 |
| 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 | 352 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 200 |
| Median year built | 1978.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 11 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 551 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 552 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 42 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 213 |
| 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 200 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 200 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 200 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 7+ seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 1.8 of 101 |
| Severity | 2.7 of 102 |
| Access | 5.6 of 103 |
| Support | 5.5 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 4.5 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 20.1 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.