Ownership guide
Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six
990 registered in the US, built from about 1966 to 1979, 6 seats, most with the Lycoming TIO-540. Its Airworthiness Directives, its engines', and what to check before buying one.
The fleet
- Registered in the US
- 990
- Built
- 1966 to 1979
- Half built by
- 1973
- Seats
- 6
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Lycoming TIO-540
Engines installed
- Lycoming TIO-540647 aircraft (65%) · 32 ADs, 5 with a repeat action
- Lycoming IO-540288 aircraft (29%) · 33 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-32-300 airframe, 2 with a repeat action. Its engines carry 65 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.
What gets reported
38 Service Difficulty Reports since 2016: a mechanic or operator files one when a part fails or is found defective.
Systems reported most
- Magneto/Distributor5
- Reciprocating Engine Cylinder Section5
- Flight Control System3
- Wing Spar2
- Reciprocating Engine Power Section2
- Fuselage, Landing Gear Attach Fittings2
Parts reported most
- Rocker cover, leaking4
- Control cable, cracked3
- Brake, burned1
- Dowel pin, sheared1
- Impulse coupling, broken1
- Spar, cracked1
The latest reports
2026-08-13 · Engine Fuel Distribution · Servo, faulted
Pilot reported the fuel pressure pegged max pressure causing the gauge to become inop. it was replaced and again the gauge went to max & became inop, the fuel flow at full throttle now exceeds 30gph indicated where it used to be 28gph & all the cylinder head temperatures in climb are cold with the highest temperature being 320 degrees, leaned out in cruise, cht's would be around 280. after this fi
2026-06-15 · Landing Gear Brake System · Brake, burned
During taxi following consecutive rejected takeoffs, the aircraft experienced a landing gear brake fire. investigation revealed that the heat generated by the consecutive aborts caused the caliper hydraulic seal (p/n: ms28775-222 o-ring) to melt and fail. this failure allowed hydraulic fluid to leak directly onto the hot brake disk. the fluid ignited upon contact, resulting in a localized fire, a
2026-03-04 · Magneto/Distributor · Dowel pin, sheared
The magneto impulse coupler locked up and broke the gears inside the back of the engine. this sheared the dowel pin in the back of the crankshaft causing engine stoppage.
2023-12-04 · Global Positioning System · Unknown, unknown
During maintenance flight, after installation of garmin gi275's and gfc500, the owner smelled the distinct odor of hot wires but did not observe any smoke. he declared an emergency and returned to kbjc and to our ramp without incident. after two days of intense inspection i discovered that the instrument lighting wire that went to the now removed vacuum gauge had not been properly capped and sto
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
59 accidents since 2008, 15 fatal (34 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 10 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of engine power (total)10
- Fuel starvation6
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT)6
- Loss of control in flight4
- Loss of control on ground4
- Runway excursion3
Phase of flight
- Enroute17
- Approach16
- Landing10
- Initial climb7
- Takeoff4
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-09 | West kingston, RI | Landing: Runway excursion | None | ERA26LA336 |
| 2026-05-17 | Empire, NV | Enroute: Loss of control in flight | Fatal | WPR26FA189 |
| 2025-03-08 | Redding, CA | Landing: Hard landing | None | ANC25LA032 |
| 2025-01-02 | Round mountain, NV | Unknown: Unknown or undetermined | Fatal | WPR25LA080 |
| 2024-10-31 | Prescott valley, AZ | Enroute: Loss of engine power (total) | None | WPR25LA030 |
| 2024-09-30 | Pierz, MN | Enroute: Fuel starvation | None | CEN24LA376 |
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 magneto/distributor and for leaking rocker covers: they are what gets reported most on this model.
- 12 equipment ADs name the PA-32-300 (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-32 family
Questions
- How many Piper PA-32-300s are registered in the US?
- 990, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Piper PA-32-300 built?
- From about 1966 to 1979. Half of those registered today were built by 1973.
- What engine does the Piper PA-32-300 have?
- Most have the Lycoming TIO-540 (65% of those registered); others have the Lycoming IO-540.
- What are common problems with the Piper PA-32-300?
- In 38 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were magneto/distributor, reciprocating engine cylinder section, flight control system, and the part most often reported was a leaking rocker cover.
- How many accidents has the Piper PA-32-300 had?
- 59 in the NTSB's database since 2008, 15 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-32-300 have?
- 36 current ADs name the PA-32-300 airframe, 2 of them with a repeat action, and 65 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.