Aircraft model
PIPER PA-38-112
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Tomahawk, Piper's answer to the Cessna 152, built 1978-1982. It is a two-seat T-tailed trainer with a wide cabin, big doors on both sides and excellent all-round visibility, and it is genuinely more pleasant to sit in than a 152. Piper designed it, unusually, by surveying flight instructors about what a trainer should do.
One of those instructor requests was that it should spin properly rather than mush, and that is where its reputation comes from. The Tomahawk does spin readily and the recovery is less forgiving than a 152's; the type accumulated a poor stall and spin accident record, there have been airworthiness directives and service bulletins relating to the wing structure and stall strips, and some flight schools banned spin training in it outright. How much of that reflects the aeroplane and how much reflects how it was used is still argued about, but it is the first thing any buyer will hear. Prices are low as a result. Check the AD status carefully and get a proper checkout.
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Put PIPER PA-38-112 side by side with up to two other models.
- PIPER PA-38-112
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-235-L2C |
| Horsepower | 112 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | FAR23 |
| Production start | 1978 |
| Production end | 1982 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 100 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 460 nm |
| Service ceiling | 13,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 718 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 48 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,460 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,544 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 561 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 381 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,670 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,109 lb |
| Usable fuel | 30 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 6.3 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $40,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $84,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,400 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $24,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $34,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 1,851 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 442 |
| Median year built | 1978.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 13 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 4 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 29.411 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 20.362 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 99 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 22.43 |
| Airworthiness directives | 2 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 442 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 442 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 442 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 6.1 of 101 |
| Severity | 1.3 of 102 |
| Access | 8.1 of 103 |
| Support | 9 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 6 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 30.5 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 29.1 · 174 models in class.
- Severity: class median 9.09.
- Access: class median 974.
- Support: class median 81.
- Liquidity: class median 20.47.
- 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.