Ownership guide
Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow
1,205 registered in the US, built from about 1969 to 1976, 4 seats, most with the Lycoming IO-360. Its Airworthiness Directives, its engines', and what to check before buying one.
The fleet
- Registered in the US
- 1,205
- Built
- 1969 to 1976
- Half built by
- 1973
- Seats
- 4
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Lycoming IO-360
Engines installed
- Lycoming IO-3601,157 aircraft (96%) · 29 ADs, 4 with a repeat action
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
36 current ADs name the PA-28R-200 airframe, 3 with a repeat action; 2 more were superseded. Its engines carry 29 more. 12 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.
- 2017-14-04Engine oilAirplaneSupersedes 95-26-13Repeat actionJul 11, 2017
- 2013-02-13Requires inspections of the stabilator control system and replacement of parts as necessaryStabilizer control system · AirplaneRepeat actionFeb 4, 2013
- 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
19 Service Difficulty Reports since 2016: a mechanic or operator files one when a part fails or is found defective.
Systems reported most
- Wing Spar3
- Wing, Rib/Bulkhead2
- Fuselage, Wing Attach Fittings1
- Nose/Tail Landing Gear1
- Tire Tube1
- Wing Structure1
Parts reported most
- Rib, cracked4
- Mount, damaged1
- Guide, cracked1
- Spar, cracked1
- Tube, separated1
- Spar, corroded1
The latest reports
2024-05-20 · Tire Tube · Tube, separated
Left main tire tube 6.00x6 aero classic. piper pa28r-200 taxied from aircraft hangar to hold short rwy25 kakr. after engine run-up left main was flat. inspection found no outer tire damage or puncture marks. removed tube to discover tube separation 2 o'clock on the aft side of tube approximately 1/4" in length located along a seam. tube date of manufacture was april 13 2023. purchased less than 4
2023-09-22 · Flight Control System · Pulley, unknown
In the process of replacing worn pulleys, we ordered pma replacement pulleys, part number 41001-10 pulleys from univair through aircraft spruce. we were sent u-41001-8 pulleys which were represented as being faa/pma replacements. having a -8 superseding a -10 part number seemed odd to me so i contacted ralmark which is the manufacturer of the pulley. they informed me that the 41008-08 has a sid
2022-08-17 · Wing Structure · Spar, corroded
During annual inspection corrosion was noted on the inboard rear spar. corrosion was popping out around a rib attachment point. it was decided to remove the spar in order to assess and advise the customer on treatment/repair. when the spar was removed the inboard attachment point to the airframe was corroded so badly the steel bracket fell off of the spar. the spar had corroded so badly that t
2022-03-31 · Wing Main, Frame Structure · None, cracked
While performing a fuselage skin repair. the rh wing was removed. an eddy current inspection was performed on the wing spar attach fittings, upper and lower. found a crack approx. 3 inches long on the upper spar face, originating from the outboard, forward, second bolt hole. crack runs inboard and terminates at the inboard end of the spar. crack was verified using visual and penetrant inspection
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
72 accidents since 2008, 16 fatal (29 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 7 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of engine power (total)16
- Hard landing6
- Loss of control on ground6
- Landing gear not configured3
- Powerplant sys/comp failure3
- Fuel exhaustion3
Phase of flight
- Landing23
- Enroute22
- Initial climb10
- Takeoff6
- Approach5
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-05 | St. augustine, FL | Landing: Landing gear not configured | None | ERA26LA139 |
| 2025-10-29 | La verne, CA | Enroute: Loss of engine power (total) | None | WPR26LA034 |
| 2025-10-01 | Colorado springs, CO | Initial climb: Aerodynamic stall/spin | Minor | CEN26LA001 |
| 2025-08-31 | Alta, UT | Enroute: Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) | Fatal | WPR25FA269 |
| 2025-04-04 | Vancouver, WA | Landing: System or component failure (not the engine) | None | WPR25LA178 |
| 2025-03-12 | Lincoln, NE | Landing: Landing gear not configured | None | CEN25LA120 |
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 (3 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 wing spar and for cracked ribs: they are what gets reported most on this model.
- 12 equipment ADs name the PA-28R-200 (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-28R family
Questions
- How many Piper PA-28R-200s are registered in the US?
- 1,205, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Piper PA-28R-200 built?
- From about 1969 to 1976. Half of those registered today were built by 1973.
- What engine does the Piper PA-28R-200 have?
- Most have the Lycoming IO-360 (96% of those registered).
- What are common problems with the Piper PA-28R-200?
- In 19 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were wing spar, wing, rib/bulkhead, fuselage, wing attach fittings, and the part most often reported was a cracked rib.
- How many accidents has the Piper PA-28R-200 had?
- 72 in the NTSB's database since 2008, 16 of them fatal. The most common defining event was loss of engine power (total). These are counts, not rates: how many hours the fleet flew is not published.
- How many Airworthiness Directives does the Piper PA-28R-200 have?
- 36 current ADs name the PA-28R-200 airframe, 3 of them with a repeat action, and 29 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.