Aircraft model
PIPER PA-32RT-300T
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Turbo Lance II, the turbocharged version of Piper's T-tail six-seat retractable. The turbocharger takes it to 20,000 feet and about 180 knots, which is twenty-five knots better than the normally aspirated Lance and useful for crossing terrain or weather with a full cabin. It still carries nearly 1,500 lb.
It stacks the T-tail's longer takeoff run and vaguer rotation on top of turbocharged running costs, which is why it is the least loved of the PA-32 retractables. The turbocharged Lycoming runs hot, is less tolerant of careless handling, and is expensive at overhaul, with the exhaust and turbocharger system needing careful annual inspection — cracks there are both a power loss and a carbon monoxide risk. At 18,000 to 20,000 feet everyone aboard needs oxygen, which with six people is a genuine logistical chore. Aft loading with the rearmost seats occupied demands a real weight and balance calculation. It is capable, and it asks a lot in return.
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Put PIPER PA-32RT-300T side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA-32RT-300T
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 | 1978 |
| Production end | 1979 |
| Endorsements required | complex;high-performance |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 180 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 800 nm |
| Service ceiling | 20,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,050 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 56 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,600 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,710 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,490 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 926 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,600 lb |
| Empty weight | 2,110 lb |
| Usable fuel | 94 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 17.4 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $140,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $230,000 |
| 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 | 390 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 204 |
| Median year built | 1978.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 20 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 98.041 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 83.332 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 58 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 28.433 |
| Airworthiness directives | 4 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 204 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 204 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 204 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 7+ seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 0 of 101 |
| Severity | 7.1 of 102 |
| Access | 9.3 of 103 |
| Support | 8.1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 8.1 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 32.6 out of 506 |
- 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.