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| Piper PA-31 Navajo | |
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| Role | Piston |
| Manufacturer | Piper Aircraft |
| Designed by | Project Engineer, Paul E. Everly |
| First flight | September 30, 1964 |
| Primary user | Corporate |
| Number built | 2044 |
The PA-31 Navajo is a family of cabin-class, twin-engine aircraft designed and built by Piper Aircraft for the general aviation market, using Lycoming engines .
In the mid-1960s company founder William T. Piper started development of the PA-31. Targeted at small-scale cargo and feeder liner operations and the corporate market, the aircraft was a success. It continues to prove a popular choice, but due to greatly decreased demand across the general aviation sector in the 1980s, production of the PA-31 ceased.
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Variants
The PA-31 series was produced in the following versions.
- PA-31-310 Navajo, sometimes referred to as a "straight Navajo". Also called the "Mini - Liner"
- PA-31-325 Navajo, referred to as the "CR" or Counter Rotating.
- PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain (originally called the "Navajo II") featured a stretched cabin and more powerful engines (Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD)
- T-1020 was a Chieftain modified to be marketed to the commuter airline market.
- PA-31P Pressurized Navajo (commonly referred to as "P-Navajo") was equipped with a pressurized cabin
- Piper Mojave was an upgraded, reengineered version of the PA-31P
- PA-31T Cheyenne, pressurized, turboprop
- T-1040, PA-31T3, was an airline version of the PA-31T Cheyenne.
Specifications (PA-31-310 Navajo)
General characteristics
- Crew: 1, possibly 2 depending on regulations operated under
- Capacity: 6 passengers
- Length: 32 ft 7.5 in (9.95 m)
- Wingspan: 40 ft 8 in (12.40 m)
- Height: 13 ft 0 in (3.96 m)
- Wing area: 229 sq. ft (21.. m²)
- Empty weight: 3759 lb (1709 kg)
- Useful load: 2741 lb (1246 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 6,500 lb (2,900 kg)
- Maximum ramp weight: 6,880 lb (3,130 kg) with BLRI VG System
- Maximum (STC) takeoff weight: 6,840 lb (3,110 kg) with BLIRI VG System
- Powerplant: 2× Lycoming TIO-540-A2B or -A2C, 310 hp (230 kW) each
- Propellers: constant speed, controllable pitch, fully feathering, Hartzell propeller
Performance
- Never exceed speed: 236 knots (272 mph, 437 km/h)
- Maximum speed: 188 knots (216 mph, 348 km/h)
- Maneuvering speed: 164 knots (188 mph, 304 km/h)
- Stall speed: 70 knots (80 mph, 130 km/h)
- Minimum controllable speed: 76 knots (85 mph, 137 km/h)
- Range: 1,025 nm (1,180 mi, 1,898 km)
- Service ceiling 24,000 ft (7,300 m)
Specifications (PA-31-350 Chieftain)
General characteristics
- Crew: 1, possibly 2 depending on regulations operated under
- Capacity: 8 passengers
- Length: 40 ft 8 in (10.52 m)
- Wingspan: 40 ft 8 in (12.40 m)
- Height: 13 ft (3.96 m)
- Wing area: 229 ft² (21.28 m²)
- Empty weight: 4,003 lb (1,817 kg)
- Useful load: 2,533 lb (1,150 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 7,000 lb (3,175 kg)
- Maximum Ramp Weight: 7,045 lb (3,195kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD, 350 hp (260 kW) each
- Propellers: with a constant speed, controllable pitch, fully feathering, Hartzell propeller
Performance
- Never exceed speed: 236 knots (272 mph, 437 km/h) indicated
- Maximum speed: 188 knots (216 mph, 348 km/h) indicated
- Cruise speed: 178 knots (205 mph, 330 km/h) true
- Stall speed: 77 knots (89 mph, 143 km/h) indicated
- Range: 1,025 nm (1,180 mi, 1,900 km)
- Service ceiling 24,000 ft (7,300 m)
References
- The Piper PA-31 Chieftain/Mojave/T-1020/T-1040 from Airliners.net
- The Piper PA-31 Navajo/Pressurized Navajo from Airliners.net
- Piper Navajo Information Manual, Revision 9, March 18th 1994, Piper Aircraft Corporation, Manual Part Number 761-723
- Piper Navajo Pilot's Operating Manual, Revision 34, April 22nd 2002, Piper Aircraft Corporation, Manual Part Number 761-456
Accidents
- On October 8, 1979, Comair Flight 444, operating a Piper PA-31-310, crashed shortly after takeoff from Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport. All eight on board were killed.
- On 6 January 2008 a Piper PA-31 Navajo Chieftain crashed flying from Kodiak to Homer in Alaska
- On 31 May 2000 a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain flying from Adelaide to Whyalla in South Australia crashed into the Spencer Gulf following a dual engine failure. All eight on board were killed.
- In 2001 a Piper PA-31 Navajo departed from a 2500' gravel strip in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The aircraft was 260lb over maximum weight. It stayed at tree-top height until out of sight where it struck rising terrain 1.5 miles from the runway. The pilot and two passengers were killed. The third passenger survived.
- On 1 April 2007 a Piper PA-31-350 crashed on the frozen surface of Grand Lac Germain, Quebec fatally injuring the pilot and sole occupant.
- On 28 August 2008 a Piper Navajo crashed in Las Vegas, NV into an empty house. The pilot (the only person on board) was killed.
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
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