Ownership guide
Piper PA-32RT-300T
203 registered in the US, built from about 1978 to 1979, 7 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
- 203
- Built
- 1978 to 1979
- Half built by
- 1978
- Seats
- 7
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Lycoming TIO-540
Engines installed
- Lycoming TIO-540197 aircraft (97%) · 32 ADs, 5 with a repeat action
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
17 current ADs name the PA-32RT-300T airframe, 2 with a repeat action. Its engines carry 32 more. 11 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
7 Service Difficulty Reports since 2016: a mechanic or operator files one when a part fails or is found defective.
Systems reported most
- Main Landing Gear1
- Elevator Control System1
- Magneto/Distributor1
- Landing Gear Retraction/Extension System1
- Fuselage, Landing Gear Attach Fittings1
- Rudder Control System1
Parts reported most
- Landing gear, failed1
- Control cable, broken1
- Magneto, corroded1
- Cylinder, broken1
- Trunnion, broken1
- Control cable, corroded1
The latest reports
2022-07-28 · Magneto/Distributor · Magneto, corroded
While enroute engine failure occurred causing a forced landing into a wooded area. investigation found that cam follower on right side of single shaft magneto was melted with no contact point clearance. no melting was observed on left side but contact point clearance was noted out of tolerance. initial bench test of magneto in same condition as it was removed from aircraft showed very intermittent
2021-05-17 · Rudder Control System · Control cable, corroded
The rudder cable failed at the turn buckle attach point.
2019-04-23 · Exhaust Turbocharger · Turbocharger, failed
Turbocharger failure due to main bearing failure. turbocharger locked up (froze) and blocked air to the induction system. pic did not execute procedures in the poh (manual selection of alternate air source) resulting in off airport landing and incident report. las vegas fsdo
2017-11-14 · Fuselage, Landing Gear Attach Fittings · Trunnion, broken
During a normal landing, the nose gear trunnion completely broke at just below the main attach pivot bolt. the gear did not collapse. the pilot reported that the gear warning light came on and went off again during the taxi to the ramp. leftt side of the trunnion is cracked at the same location as the the right side of the trunnion. damage appears to have been from excessive forces being applied d
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
15 accidents since 2008, 2 fatal (7 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 2 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Fuel starvation2
- Loss of engine power (total)2
- Collision during takeoff/land2
- Fire/smoke (non-impact)1
- Powerplant sys/comp failure1
- Off-field or emergency landing1
Phase of flight
- Enroute5
- Takeoff4
- Approach2
- Initial climb2
- Landing1
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-22 | Winchester, ID | Enroute: Fuel starvation | Minor | WPR25LA183 |
| 2025-05-30 | Tulsa, OK | Approach: Loss of engine power (total) | Serious | CEN25LA192 |
| 2024-07-04 | Myerstown, PA | Takeoff: Fire/smoke (non-impact) | None | ERA24LA302 |
| 2022-10-23 | Lake worth, FL | Initial climb: Unknown or undetermined | Minor | ERA23LA040 |
| 2022-07-28 | Dallas, TX | Enroute: Powerplant sys/comp failure | Serious | CEN22LA344 |
| 2022-07-04 | Frankston, TX | Takeoff: Collision during takeoff/land | None | CEN22LA307 |
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 main landing gear and for failed landing gears: they are what gets reported most on this model.
- 11 equipment ADs name the PA-32RT-300T (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-32RT family
Questions
- How many Piper PA-32RT-300Ts are registered in the US?
- 203, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Piper PA-32RT-300T built?
- From about 1978 to 1979. Half of those registered today were built by 1978.
- What engine does the Piper PA-32RT-300T have?
- Most have the Lycoming TIO-540 (97% of those registered).
- What are common problems with the Piper PA-32RT-300T?
- In 7 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were main landing gear, elevator control system, magneto/distributor, and the part most often reported was a failed landing gear.
- How many accidents has the Piper PA-32RT-300T had?
- 15 in the NTSB's database since 2008, 2 of them fatal. The most common defining event was fuel starvation. These are counts, not rates: how many hours the fleet flew is not published.
- How many Airworthiness Directives does the Piper PA-32RT-300T have?
- 17 current ADs name the PA-32RT-300T airframe, 2 of them with a repeat action, and 32 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.