Ownership guide
Piper PA-22-160 Tri-Pacer
448 registered in the US, built from about 1957 to 1960, 4 seats, most with the Lycoming O-320. Its Airworthiness Directives, its engines', and what to check before buying one.
The fleet
- Registered in the US
- 448
- Built
- 1957 to 1960
- Half built by
- 1958
- Seats
- 4
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Lycoming O-320
Engines installed
- Lycoming O-320433 aircraft (97%) · 24 ADs, 3 with a repeat action
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
24 current ADs name the PA-22-160 airframe, 0 with a repeat action; 2 more were superseded. Its engines carry 24 more. 12 equipment ADs name the model.
No current airframe AD mentions a repeat action.
Accident record
38 accidents since 2008, 1 fatal (2 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 1 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of control on ground11
- Hard landing3
- Loss of control in flight3
- Landing gear collapse2
- Fuel starvation2
- System or component failure (not the engine)2
Phase of flight
- Landing20
- Takeoff6
- Enroute4
- Initial climb4
- Maneuvering3
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-11 | Russian mission, AK | Landing: Hard landing | None | ANC26LA056 |
| 2026-01-04 | Sealy, TX | Landing: Landing gear collapse | None | CEN26LA078 |
| 2025-08-19 | Homer, AK | Landing: Landing gear collapse | None | ANC25LA087 |
| 2025-07-07 | Page, AZ | Landing: Loss of control on ground | None | WPR25LA206 |
| 2025-03-25 | Tracy, CA | Landing: Loss of control on ground | None | WPR25LA121 |
| 2024-10-08 | Kasilof, AK | Landing: Hard landing | None | ANC25LA002 |
From the NTSB's aviation accident database, refreshed monthly; accidents only, homebuilts left out. Counts, not rates: nobody publishes how many hours each model flies, and a training fleet flies far more than a private one. Look up any case by its number in the NTSB's CAROL.
What it costs to run
Per hour flown
Per year, flown or not
- Fuel
- $0/hr
- Engine reserve
- $0/hr
- A year
- $0
- All in, per hour
- $0/hr
Filled in for a Piper PA-22-160 with the Lycoming O-320: the engine maker's published overhaul time. Everything else is yours to fill in: insurance, hangar and overhaul prices vary too much by pilot, airport and shop for a default to mean anything. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Before you buy one
- Run its N-number through the AD check: every AD that names its airframe and engine, as a checklist to take to the logbooks.
- For each repeat-action AD, find the last compliance in the logbooks and when the next one is due.
- Compare the engine's time since overhaul with its maker's published overhaul time, and look for the reason behind any long gap in flying.
- 12 equipment ADs name the PA-22-160 (a muffler, a seat belt, a display): find out which of that equipment is installed.
- Check the registration, the airworthiness certificate and the date of the last annual inspection.
- Work out the sales or use tax your state will charge with the aircraft tax calculator.
The rest of the PA-22 family
Questions
- How many Piper PA-22-160s are registered in the US?
- 448, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Piper PA-22-160 built?
- From about 1957 to 1960. Half of those registered today were built by 1958.
- What engine does the Piper PA-22-160 have?
- Most have the Lycoming O-320 (97% of those registered).
- How many accidents has the Piper PA-22-160 had?
- 38 in the NTSB's database since 2008, 1 of them fatal. The most common defining event was loss of control on ground. These are counts, not rates: how many hours the fleet flew is not published.
- How many Airworthiness Directives does the Piper PA-22-160 have?
- 24 current ADs name the PA-22-160 airframe, 0 of them with a repeat action, and 24 more name its engines. Whether each applies to one aircraft depends on its serial number and installed equipment.
Figures from the FAA aircraft registry and the FAA's Airworthiness Directives, rebuilt daily. An AD listed for a model is one to read; whether it applies to one aircraft depends on its serial number, equipment and records.