Ownership guide
Piper PA-24-250 Comanche
1,202 registered in the US, built from about 1958 to 1964, 4 seats, most with the Lycoming O-540. Its Airworthiness Directives, its engines', and what to check before buying one.
The fleet
- Registered in the US
- 1,202
- Built
- 1958 to 1964
- Half built by
- 1960
- Seats
- 4
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Lycoming O-540
Engines installed
- Lycoming O-5401,107 aircraft (92%) · 23 ADs, 3 with a repeat action
- Lycoming TIO-54052 aircraft (4%) · 32 ADs, 5 with a repeat action
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
42 current ADs name the PA-24-250 airframe, 2 with a repeat action. Its engines carry 55 more. 13 equipment ADs name the model.
The ones that come back
ADs with a repeat action: an inspection or replacement at an interval, for as long as the AD applies. These are the airworthiness costs an owner keeps paying.
- 2012-17-06Requires replacement of the stabilator horn assembly and/or repetitive inspections of the stabilator horn assembly for corrosion or cracks, as applicableFlight controls · AirplaneRepeat actionSep 17, 2012
- 97-01-01 R1The New Piper Aircraft, Inc. PA-24, PA- 28R, PA-30, PA-32R, PA-34, and PA-39 Series AirplanesAirplaneSupersedes 97-01-01Repeat actionOct 29, 1998
What gets reported
10 Service Difficulty Reports since 2016: a mechanic or operator files one when a part fails or is found defective.
Systems reported most
- Fuel Control/Reciprocating Engines2
- Landing Gear Retraction/Extension System1
- Engine (Reciprocating)1
- Nose/Tail Landing Gear1
- Nose/Tail Landing Gear Strut/Axle1
- Propeller Blade Section1
Parts reported most
- Control cable, bent1
- Hose, deteriorated1
- Centering mech, bent1
- Strut, cracked1
- Blade, cracked1
- Audio panel, smoke1
The latest reports
2025-03-17 · Audio Integrating System · Audio panel, smoke
Audio panel emitted smoke, filling the cabin. pilot was forced to deactivate aircraft electrical system and make an emergency landing resulting in major damage to the aircraft.
2023-10-23 · Engine (Reciprocating) · Hose, deteriorated
Inflight had an oil cooler hose failure. rubber deteriorated . should have a life span of 10 years.
2022-06-19 · Propeller Governor · Governor, inoperative
Pilots involved reported the following: during cruise flight by keet the pilots noted a sudden decrease in power followed by an increase in engine rpm. engine rpm indications rose to over 3100 rpm on the engine monitoring display. pilots brought manifold pressure back to around 15 in.-hg to reduced engine load. pilots involved troubleshot in flight by moving propeller control knob with no subse
2019-01-20 · Landing Gear Retraction/Extension System · Control cable, bent
Upon touch down on kmfe runway, right main gear slowly started to collapse. pilot reached a full stop safely, on further investigation the right side main gear control cable was found bent keeping the gear from completely extending to the down and lock position.
From the FAA's Service Difficulty Reporting System, refreshed monthly. Counts of what was reported, not failure rates: most of general aviation reports voluntarily, and a busy training fleet reports more than a private one.
Accident record
83 accidents since 2008, 26 fatal (40 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 10 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of control in flight12
- Loss of engine power (total)10
- Fuel starvation9
- Fuel exhaustion6
- Landing gear collapse6
- Landing gear not configured5
Phase of flight
- Enroute24
- Landing19
- Approach17
- Initial climb10
- Maneuvering5
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-04 | Bethany, MO | Enroute: Loss of control in flight | Fatal | CEN26FA280 |
| 2026-06-20 | Middlefield, OH | Unknown: Unknown or undetermined | Fatal | WPR26FA224 |
| 2026-05-23 | Bartow, FL | Landing: Landing gear not configured | None | ERA26LA235 |
| 2026-03-21 | Madison, IN | Takeoff: Aerodynamic stall/spin | None | CEN26LA146 |
| 2025-10-19 | Eau claire, WI | Landing: Landing gear not configured | None | CEN26LA025 |
| 2025-08-28 | Gregory, MI | Enroute: Loss of engine power (partial) | Serious | CEN25LA357 |
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
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 (2 on the airframe), 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.
- Ask the mechanic doing the pre-buy to look hard at the fuel control/reciprocating engines and for bent control cables: they are what gets reported most on this model.
- 13 equipment ADs name the PA-24-250 (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-24 family
Questions
- How many Piper PA-24-250s are registered in the US?
- 1,202, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Piper PA-24-250 built?
- From about 1958 to 1964. Half of those registered today were built by 1960.
- What engine does the Piper PA-24-250 have?
- Most have the Lycoming O-540 (92% of those registered); others have the Lycoming TIO-540.
- What are common problems with the Piper PA-24-250?
- In 10 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were fuel control/reciprocating engines, landing gear retraction/extension system, engine (reciprocating), and the part most often reported was a bent control cable.
- How many accidents has the Piper PA-24-250 had?
- 83 in the NTSB's database since 2008, 26 of them fatal. The most common defining event was loss of control in flight. These are counts, not rates: how many hours the fleet flew is not published.
- How many Airworthiness Directives does the Piper PA-24-250 have?
- 42 current ADs name the PA-24-250 airframe, 2 of them with a repeat action, and 55 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.