View source for Piper PA-31 Navajo

{{Aircraft infobox
| name = Piper PA-31 Navajo
| image = Piper PA-31-310 Navajo (VH-XGL) at Essendon Airport.jpg
| caption = Piper PA-31 Navajo. Photo: YSSYguy at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via [[commons:File:Piper PA-31-310 Navajo (VH-XGL) at Essendon Airport.jpg|Wikimedia Commons]]
| make = Piper
| type = Utility aircraft
| first_flight = 30 September 1964
| produced = 1967–1984
| status = Active service
| number_built = 3,942
| faa_registered = 892 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
| seats = 1 or 2, 5 to 7 passengers
| engine = 2 × Lycoming TIO-540-A, 310 hp
| cruise = 238 mph (PA-31 Navajo)
| range = 1,165 mi (PA-31 Navajo)
| ceiling = 26,300 ft (PA-31 Navajo)
| gross_weight = 6,500 lb (PA-31 Navajo)
| category = Piston twins
}}

The '''Piper PA-31 Navajo''' is a family of twin-engine, low-wing utility airplanes built by Piper Aircraft from 1967 to 1984 for small cargo and feeder airlines and as a corporate airplane. It was also license-built in several Latin American countries.<ref name="wp"/> In the U.S. there are 892 with a valid registration, the largest group being the PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain.<ref name="faa"/>

== History ==
In 1962, at founder William T. Piper's request, Piper began a six- to eight-seat twin for corporate and commuter use under the project name "Inca". Looking like a scaled-up [[Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche|Twin Comanche]], it first flew on September 30, 1964, with two 310 hp turbocharged Lycoming TIO-540 engines in "tiger shark" cowlings like the Twin Comanche's and the [[Piper PA-23 Apache and Aztec|Aztec]]'s.<ref name="wp"/>

Named after the Navajo people, it was certified on February 24, 1966, and deliveries began in 1967. The only version without turbocharging, the 300 hp PA-31-300, was certified in June 1967; just 14 were built in 1968 and 1969.<ref name="wp"/>

== Registered in the United States ==
The FAA register lists '''892''' of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.<ref name="faa"/>
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! FAA model name !! Registered
|-
| PA-31-350 || 392
|-
| PA-31-325 || 134
|-
| PA-31-310 || 127
|-
| PA-31T || 85
|-
| PA-31T1 || 63
|-
| PA-31P || 37
|-
| PA-31 || 25
|-
| PA-31T2 || 24
|-
| PA-31-300 || 3
|-
| PA-31T3 || 2
|}
</div>

== Specifications (PA-31 Navajo) ==
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable"
! Item !! PA-31 Navajo
|-
| Crew || 1 or 2
|-
| Passengers / capacity || 5 to 7 passengers
|-
| Length || 32 ft 7+1/2 in
|-
| Wingspan || 40 ft 8 in
|-
| Height || 13 ft
|-
| Wing area || 229 sq ft
|-
| Empty weight || 3,930 lb
|-
| Maximum takeoff weight || 6,500 lb
|-
| Fuel || 190 USgal total, 187 USgal useable
|-
| Engine || 2 × Lycoming TIO-540-A, 310 hp (air-cooled six-cylinder horizontally opposed piston engine)
|-
| Propeller || Hartzell metal, fully feathering propellers
|-
| Maximum speed || 261 mph
|-
| Cruise speed || 238 mph
|-
| Stall speed || 73 mph
|-
| Never-exceed speed || 272 mph
|-
| Range || 1,165 mi
|-
| Service ceiling || 26,300 ft
|-
| Rate of climb || 1,445 ft/min
|}
</div>
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.<ref name="wp"/>

{{Owner notes}}

== Photos ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="170">
File:Aerocardal (9321672052).jpg|Aerocardal Piper PA-31 Navajo at Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport. Photo: Aerocardal Chile, CC BY-SA 2.0
File:Piper PA-31P-350 Mojave, Private JP6213169.jpg|Piper PA-31 Navajo. Photo: Pedro Aragão, CC BY-SA 3.0
File:4X-CBO Udi Brill.jpg|Piper PA-31 Navajo. Photo: Udi Brill (אודי בריל), CC BY-SA 4.0
File:Piper PA-31-350 Navajo N828KT cockpit (29890802667).jpg|Piper PA-31 Navajo. Photo: Jeroen Stroes Aviation Photography from Netherlands, CC BY 2.0
</gallery>
All photos are from [[commons:Main Page|Wikimedia Commons]]; click a photo for its full credit and license.

== Buying a Piper PA-31 Navajo ==
{{For sale soon}}

== Sources ==
<references>
<ref name="wp">Wikipedia, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_PA-31_Navajo Piper PA-31 Navajo]", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.</ref>
<ref name="faa">Federal Aviation Administration, [https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/releasable_aircraft_download Releasable Aircraft Database], file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.</ref>
</references>