Compare
Cessna 172N Skyhawk vs Piper PA-28-161 Warrior
The two side by side, from the FAA registry, the FAA's Airworthiness Directives and Service Difficulty Reports, and the NTSB's accident database. Each has a full guide: Cessna 172N Skyhawk, Piper PA-28-161 Warrior.
Where they differ
- There are more Cessna 172Ns to choose from: 3,098 registered against 1,501.
- The Piper PA-28-161 burns more fuel in a typical cruise: about 8.5 gallons an hour against 8.
- The Cessna 172N carries more airframe ADs with a repeat action, 4 against 3: inspections that come back for as long as the AD applies.
Side by side
| Cessna 172N Skyhawk | Piper PA-28-161 Warrior | |
|---|---|---|
| Registered in the US | 3,098 | 1,501 |
| Built | 1976 to 1980 | 1977 to 2015 |
| Half built by | 1978 | 1979 |
| Seats | 4 | 4 |
| Most common engine | Lycoming O-320 | Lycoming O-320 |
| Typical cruise fuel burn | 8 gal/hr | 8.5 gal/hr |
| Engine overhaul intervalThe engine maker's published hours between overhauls. | 2,000 hr | 2,000 hr |
| Current airframe ADs | 38 | 59 |
| Airframe ADs with a repeat action | 4 | 3 |
| Current ADs on the main engine | 24 | 24 |
| Service Difficulty ReportsSince the year shown in each guide; per 1,000 registered today. | 64 (20.7 per 1,000) | 102 (68.0 per 1,000) |
| Most-reported system | Reciprocating Engine Cylinder Section | Reciprocating Engine Cylinder Section |
| Accidents since 2008Per 1,000 registered today, not per hour flown: a training fleet flies far more than a private one. | 227 (73.3 per 1,000) | 110 (73.3 per 1,000) |
| Fatal accidents since 2008 | 40 | 19 |
| Most common accident | Loss of control on ground | Loss of control on ground |
Report and accident counts are not rates: nobody publishes the hours each model flies, and a training fleet flies far more than a private one. Fuel burn is a typical cruise figure; the engine interval is its maker's published figure for the usual engine.
The Cessna 172N's repeat-action ADs
- 2011-10-09Requires retaining all of the actions from the previous AD and adding steps to the inspection procedures in the previous AD
- 2011-06-02Requires installing a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) backup battery, replacing the supplement pilot's operating handbook and FAA approved airplane flight manual, and replacing the FADEC backup battery...
- 2001-23-03Extend the inspections and installation of the switch cover requirement to certain 172N, 172P, R172K, 172RG, F172N, F172P, FR172J, and FR172K series airplanes
- 97-12-06Requires checking the clearance between both the gascolator and cowling area and the tailpipe and cowling area, and modifying these areas immediately if any evidence of rubbing at either location is found or...
The Piper PA-28-161's repeat-action ADs
- 2017-14-04Engine oil
- 2013-02-13Requires inspections of the stabilator control system and replacement of parts as necessary
- 2010-26-04Requires installing a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) backup battery, replacing the supplement pilot's operating handbook and FAA approved airplane flight manual, and revising the limitations section of...
Questions
- Which has more Airworthiness Directives, the Cessna 172N or the Piper PA-28-161?
- 38 current ADs name the Cessna 172N airframe and 59 the Piper PA-28-161; 4 and 3 of them have a repeat action.
- Which is newer, the Cessna 172N or the Piper PA-28-161?
- Half of the Cessna 172Ns registered were built by 1978, half of the Piper PA-28-161s by 1979.
- How do the Cessna 172N and Piper PA-28-161 accident records compare?
- 227 accidents since 2008 for the Cessna 172N (40 fatal) against 110 for the Piper PA-28-161 (19 fatal), from fleets of 3,098 and 1,501. Counts, not rates per hour flown.