Aircraft model
PIPER PA-34-220T
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Seneca III, built from 1981, is the developed version of Piper's six-seat light twin: 220 hp a side instead of 200, a higher gross weight, a redesigned instrument panel and better single-engine performance than the Seneca II. It cruises at about 190 knots in the high teens and is one of the standard multi-engine trainers alongside the Duchess and the Baron.
The counter-rotating propellers eliminate the critical engine, which makes asymmetric handling noticeably more benign than in older twins and is a real safety feature rather than a selling point. The costs are the usual twin costs: two turbocharged Continentals with a recommended overhaul life under 2,000 hours, two propellers, two turbochargers and two exhaust systems, with exhaust cracking the recurring inspection item. At 220 hp a side a high-performance endorsement is required, which the 200 hp Seneca II does not need — a distinction worth knowing. Oxygen is required for the altitudes where it performs best. Annuals are expensive and insurance requires type-specific training.
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Put PIPER PA-34-220T side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA-34-220T
What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 2 |
| Engine | Continental TSIO-360-KB (turbocharged, counter-rotating) |
| Horsepower | 220 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | FAR23 |
| Production start | 1981 |
| Production end | 1990 |
| Endorsements required | complex;high-performance;multi-engine |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 190 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 800 nm |
| Service ceiling | 25,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,400 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 61 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,400 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,478 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,710 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,152 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 4,750 lb |
| Empty weight | 3,040 lb |
| Usable fuel | 93 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 25.5 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $150,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $720,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $40,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $58,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 835 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 237 |
| Median year built | 1983.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 12 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 50.631 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 37.972 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 48 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 20.253 |
| Airworthiness directives | 11 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 1 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 237 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 237 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 237 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing multi-engine, piston, 2 engines, 7+ seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 1.9 of 101 |
| Severity | 9.1 of 102 |
| Access | 8 of 103 |
| Support | 7.4 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 3.1 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 29.5 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 15.63 · 17 models in class.
- Severity: class median 23.08.
- Access: class median 3,096.5.
- Support: class median 121.5.
- Liquidity: class median 23.08.
- 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.