Aircraft model
ROCKWELL INTERNATIONAL 690
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Turbo Commander 690, certificated in July 1971: the first of the big-wing Commanders, with Garrett TPE331 turboprops, a pressurized cabin and the high wing and clean lines that make the type recognisable at a distance. It is fast for a turboprop twin — around 280 knots — and it lands slowly, which is an unusual combination.
A Turbo Commander is a serious aeroplane bought at a piston-twin price, and the arithmetic works only if the engines are understood. The TPE331 is a single-shaft turbine: it is efficient, it responds instantly, and it is unforgiving of hot starts and of maintenance shortcuts, and its overhaul and hot-section costs dominate the ownership picture. Twin Commander Aircraft still supports the fleet and there is a well-organised owner community, which matters more on a type this specialised than the purchase price does.
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Put ROCKWELL INTERNATIONAL 690 side by side with up to two other models.
- ROCKWELL INTERNATIONAL 690
What it is
| Seats | 11 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 2 |
| Engine | Garrett TPE331-5-251K |
| Horsepower | 717 hp |
| Fuel | JetA |
| Certification basis | FAR23 |
| Production start | 1971 |
| Production end | 1973 |
| Endorsements required | complex;high-performance;pressurized/high-altitude;multi-engine |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 280 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 1,300 nm |
| Service ceiling | 31,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 2,700 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 78 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 2,200 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 2,100 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 11 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 4,340 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,158 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 10,250 lb |
| Empty weight | 5,910 lb |
| Usable fuel | 475 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 95 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $350,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $700,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 5,400 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $300,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $450,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 3 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 0 |
| Median year built | — |
| 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 | 0 |
| Transfers per 100 active | — |
| Airworthiness directives | 4 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | none |
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing multi-engine, turbo-prop, 2 engines, 7+ seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 0.4 of 104 |
| Liquidity | —5 |
- Accident record: class median 12.71 · 22 models in class.
- Severity: class median 29.17.
- Access: class median 7,501.5.
- Support: class median 51.
- Liquidity: class median 24.79.
- 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.