Piper PA-32-300

Aircraft Manufacturer: Piper

Model: PA-32-300

About the Piper PA-32-300

The Piper PA-32-300 holds the 11th-largest active fleet in Piper's lineup, and more than 900 of these airframes remain on the U.S. civil registry today. The model accounts for about 2% of Piper's active registered aircraft. Across all U.S. registry records ever held for the PA-32-300, about half have been deregistered.

On the safety record, the PA-32-300 carries a recorded accident rate of about 4.1 accidents per 1,000 aircraft-years over the type's own FAA-registration exposure. Measured against its peer cohort of similar type, engine class, and seat range, the PA-32-300 sits at about the midpoint, where a higher percentile means a higher accident rate. The model therefore runs a higher accident rate than roughly half of comparable types and a lower rate than the rest. Of 83 recorded accidents for the PA-32-300, 20 were fatal.

Aircraft Details

Aircraft Details
Manufacturer Piper
Manufacturer Serial Number 7103212
Model PA-32-300
Category Land
Aircraft Type Fixed wing single engine
Cruise Speed 126 MPH / 109 knots
Weight Class 1 (Up to 12,499 lbs gross take off weight)
Engine Type Reciprocating
Number of Engines 1 engine
Number of Seats 6 seats
Piper PA-32-300 Photo: — — public-domain via Wikimedia Commons Have a personal photo of the Piper PA-32-300? Contact us.

Safety Analysis

Composition of NTSB accident records for this model in general-aviation operations (FAR Part 91 and 137), based on NTSB data as of May 1, 2026. It's a breakdown of recorded accidents rather than a safety rating, and types with significant non-GA operation (such as Part 135) may be under-represented.

100%
Identity Confirmed

Accidents are identity-confirmed against FAA registration records (two independent sources).


42 exact, 41 recovered, 0 provisional

Methodology
83
Recorded GA Accidents

Total recorded general-aviation accidents within the analyzed period.


20 fatal accidents.

24.1% of recorded accidents were fatal.

992
Currently Registered

Active aircraft fleet size contributing to the exposure data.


20,214

Aircraft-years of FAA registration exposure (2008–present).


Comparison

Within its peer cohort

Within this model's peer class (same aircraft type, engine class, and seat range), comparison of its share of recorded NTSB accidents to its share of FAA registration exposure (aircraft-years since 2008).

This is a share comparison, not flight-hours adjusted, so a model flown more per airframe than its peers will show an accident share above its exposure share even if its per-hour safety is average. Methodology →

Model class Share of cohort
Accidents
4.7%
Exposure
5.2%
Time series

Accidents by year

Recorded NTSB general-aviation accidents per calendar year, derived directly from the NTSB accident database. Each bar shows the accidents that occurred in that year. Methodology →

Investigations take 12–36 months to finalise, so the trailing years come in incomplete. Recent years are adjusted upward for that lag. Observed counts show as solid bars, the lag-adjusted estimate shows hatched.

2008 – 2025 Total 83
Accidents by year Accidents by year (total 83 observed): 2008 6, 2009 1, 2010 2, 2011 2, 2012 5, 2013 1, 2014 4, 2015 5, 2016 4, 2017 4, 2018 10, 2019 2, 2020 6, 2021 2, 2022 11, 2023 6, 2024 9, 2025 3. 4 8 12 16 0 6 '08 1 '09 2 '10 2 '11 5 '12 1 '13 4 '14 5 '15 4 '16 4 '17 10 '18 2 '19 6 '20 2 '21 11 '22 7 '23 10 '24 3 '25
Composition

Phase of flight

Which phase of flight each accident occurred in, as coded by the NTSB. Most accidents happen in the phases where most flying time is concentrated, so this isn't a measure of which phase is most dangerous.

7 categories Total 83
Enroute 29
Approach 17
Landing 16
Takeoff 9
Initial climb 8
Taxi 2
Uncontrolled descent 2
Causes

Finding category

Top-level NTSB cause category, from the coded investigation findings. An accident often has more than one finding, so totals here can exceed the recorded accident count.

NTSB top-level codes Total 223
Aircraft 94
Personnel issues 72
Environmental issues 47
Not determined 10
Outcomes

Injury severity

NTSB classification of the worst injury in each accident: None, Minor, Serious, or Fatal. Each accident counts in exactly one severity.

Highest per accident Total 83
None 43
Fatal 20
Minor 12
Serious 8

Operating-rule mix (all parts): 091 (83)· 135 (10)· NUSN (3)· NUSC (2)· UNK (1)

Recorded Accidents

All 83 recorded NTSB general-aviation accidents for this model, most recent first.

Date Location Tail Damage Highest injury Phase of flight Finding categories
Morrison, TN N47831 Destroyed Fatal Approach Personnel issues, Aircraft, Environmental issues
Marion, IA N31841 Substantial None Landing Aircraft, Personnel issues
Rushville, IN N112DE Substantial None Enroute Aircraft
Bartow, FL N3941X Substantial None Approach Not determined, Environmental issues
Windermere, FL N1495J Substantial Serious Enroute Not determined
Lincoln Park, NJ N31396 Substantial None Landing Environmental issues
Boone, NC N43576 Destroyed Fatal Initial climb Aircraft, Personnel issues
Brunswick, GA N8675N Substantial Minor Enroute Aircraft, Personnel issues
Greensboro, NC N96ML Substantial None Landing Personnel issues, Aircraft, Environmental issues
Brazoria, TX N555PK Destroyed Fatal Enroute Personnel issues, Not determined
Cuba, MO N2966X Destroyed Fatal Enroute Personnel issues, Aircraft, Environmental issues
Redlands, CA N4124R Substantial None Initial climb Aircraft, Environmental issues
Ardmore, OK N4125W Substantial Fatal Takeoff Not determined, Aircraft
Helena, AL N9103K Destroyed Serious Enroute Not determined
Warsaw, IN N8160A Substantial None Landing Personnel issues, Aircraft, Environmental issues
Lancaster, OH N5222S Substantial None Prior to flight Aircraft, Personnel issues
Sanford, NC N1953H Substantial None Approach Aircraft, Personnel issues, Environmental issues
Easton, MD N2835W Substantial None Landing Aircraft, Personnel issues
Jackson, MS N717RL Substantial Fatal Emergency descent Personnel issues, Aircraft
Lancaster, CA N308DF Substantial None Enroute Personnel issues, Environmental issues, Aircraft
Elkader, IA N1127X Substantial Serious Landing Aircraft, Personnel issues, Environmental issues
Mountain Home, ID N8990N Substantial Fatal Enroute Personnel issues, Environmental issues
Bridgeport, CT N600DK Substantial Serious Approach Environmental issues, Personnel issues, Aircraft
Oklahoma City, OK N31407 Substantial None Takeoff Aircraft
Bimini, Bahamas N4219R Destroyed Fatal Enroute unknown

Page 3 of 4 (showing accidents 51–75 of 83).

Data presented on this website is sourced directly from official Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records. To ensure accuracy, we try not to correct issues such as improper punctuation, spelling errors, empty fields, or unusual labels like "SALE REPORTED" for a registrant. We make every effort to present information as it appears in the FAA database. This website is not affiliated with any government agency.