Aircraft model
PIPER PA-34
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
A bare PA-34 on the register is the original Seneca: two 200 hp Lycoming IO-360s turning opposite ways, six seats, and a 4,000 lb maximum weight in 1972 rising to 4,200 lb for 1973. Counter-rotating propellers mean there is no critical engine, which was the Seneca's selling point and is still the reason it is the standard multi-engine trainer in half the world's flying schools.
The first Seneca is the cheapest of the family and the least liked by people who fly them: the original aircraft had heavy controls, a marginal single-engine climb at gross, and a reputation the Seneca II largely fixed. As an owner's aeroplane it is a lot of twin for the money; as a trainer it is exactly what a school wants, which is why so many have very high airframe hours. Check the hours, check the gear system, and quote the insurance before the purchase.
Compare with…
Put PIPER PA-34 side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA-34
What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 2 |
| Engine | Lycoming IO-360-A1A / LIO-360-A1A (counter-rotating) |
| Horsepower | 200 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | FAR23 |
| Production start | 1972 |
| Production end | 1974 |
| Endorsements required | complex;multi-engine |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 162 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 685 nm |
| Service ceiling | 20,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,460 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 58 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,140 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,335 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,414 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 814 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 4,000 lb |
| Empty weight | 2,586 lb |
| Usable fuel | 100 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 22.4 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $85,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $160,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $34,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $48,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 19 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 5 |
| Median year built | 1987.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | — |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | — |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 2 |
| Transfers per 100 active | — |
| Airworthiness directives | 2 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | none |
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing multi-engine, piston, 2 engines, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | —5 |
- Accident record: class median 22.1 · 57 models in class.
- Severity: class median 25.
- Access: class median 2,924.5.
- Support: class median 57.
- Liquidity: class median 21.42.
- 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.