Piper Aircraft · Twin-engine piston plane
Piper PA-31 Navajo and Chieftain (piston)
Is the Piper PA-31 Navajo and Chieftain (piston) safe? It ranks Shared rankWithin 1 point of other aircraft types: the difference is not meaningful.More in the glossary of 23 small planes we rate, with 18 fatal accidents counted in about 2.4 million US flights since 2008.
Likely range 40 to 53
How the score is built
- Fatal accidents
- 18 in 2.4 million flights
7.5 fatal accidents per million flights. Counted: all civil flights in the United States since 2008 (private, training, charter and other), accidents and unexplained losses; not counted: accidents outside the United States or before 2008, military, test and illegal flights, sabotage, hijackings, shoot-downs and deliberate crew acts.
- Full-loss equivalents
- 15.5
Each counted accident adds the share of people on board who died (1 = no survivors). This is what the score is based on.
- Flights flown
- 2.4 million
Estimated flights of all kinds in the United States since 2008. Flights of all kinds in the United States (private, training, charter and other civil use) 2008 to 3 November 2026, each counted from take-off to final landing: the hours of all US piston twins in each year (active aircraft and hours from the FAA General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey), split between types by US-registered aircraft (FAA register, 721 of this type in 2024) times how much each type flies against its class (1.59, mostly from airframe hours in NTSB accident records, partly from hours per aircraft seen by ADS-B receivers in 2019-2022), at 1.07 hours per flight from ADS-B tracks: about 151 flights per registered aircraft per year in 2024. Flights and accidents outside the United States, or before 2008, are not used. Against the FAA's hours per helicopter model, this method is off by about 22% on a typical type. Uncertainty roughly ±25%.
- Technology generation
- Twin-engine piston plane
Small fleets are pulled toward the record of the other types of their generation: 11.5 full-loss equivalents per million flights over 18.6 million flights. Weight of this family's own record: 90%.
- Likely range
- 40 to 53
The score is 90% likely to lie in this range, given how few accidents a type has and the error in the estimate of its flights.
- Last fatal accident
- 20 July 2023
Unknown operator, Kearney, MO, United States of America: 1 of 1 people on board died.
- Aircraft destroyed
- 10
Aircraft the NTSB coded as destroyed in an accident in the United States since 2008, fatal or not, from all causes. The NTSB codes many wrecks as only substantially damaged, so the real number is higher (context only, not in the score).
Compared with everyday risks
One flight on the Piper PA-31 Navajo and Chieftain (piston) carries about the same risk of death as the activities near it below.
- An hour's walk1 in 14 million
- Driving 100 miles (160 km)1 in 5.9 million
- An ordinary day: accidents and violence1 in 1 million
- A day of skiing1 in 830,000
- A scuba dive1 in 500,000
- Cycling 100 miles (160 km)1 in 430,000
- Running a marathon1 in 290,000
- A skydive1 in 250,000
- One flight on the Piper PA-31 Navajo and Chieftain (piston)This aircraft1 in 140,000
- A general anaesthetic1 in 100,000
- Riding a motorbike 100 miles (160 km)1 in 83,000
Accident history
18 fatal accidents in the United States since 2008 count toward the score, with 41 people on board killed.
| Date | Flight | Killed | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown operatorPiper PA-31P · Kearney, MO, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | On a special-permit ferry flight, the leaking, long-unflown PA-31P yawed right after take-off from Mosby, Missouri, and hit power lines; the pilot died. NTSB: known fuel leaks, no run-up, no aborted take-off and poor maintenance; blocked injectors cut power.Type: FuelNTSB docket | |
| PrivatePiper PA-31-325 · Tupelo, MS, United States of America | 2 killed / 2 on board | Just after takeoff from Tupelo, Mississippi, on an IFR flight, the Navajo entered a climbing, then descending, tightening right turn as it slowed, stalled at low height and crashed beside the airport. Both on board died. NTSB: stall for reasons that could not be determined.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| PrivatePiper PA-31-350 · Medford, OR, United States of America | 2 killed / 2 on board | Departing Medford, Oregon, into cloud, the pilot asked ATC to call his turn and was told to fly the published departure. The Chieftain made a full circle, dropped below the cloud, climbed back in, looped and dived into the ground. Both died. NTSB: spatial disorientation.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| PrivatePiper PA-31P · Myrtle Beach, SC, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | On the first flight after an annual inspection in which the flight controls were removed and repainted, the pilot of the PA-31P asked to return soon after takeoff from Myrtle Beach and lost control. He died. NTSB: a mechanic had fitted the elevator trim tabs in reverse.Type: System failureNTSB docket | |
| Security AviationPiper PA-31-350 · Cooper Landing, AK, United States of America | 3 killed / 3 on board | Flying at night from Anchorage to collect a patient at Seward, a trip two other operators had declined, the air ambulance Chieftain flew low into a valley and hit a mountain near Cooper Landing, Alaska. The pilot and two medical crew died. NTSB: terrain not cleared at night.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Marc, Inc.Piper PA31 · Madeira, OH, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Hours into a survey flight from Lunken Field, Cincinnati, the pilot reported a fuel problem and turned back; the left engine starved of fuel and he let the speed fall below minimum control speed. The Chieftain crashed at Madeira, Ohio, killing him. NTSB: fuel starvation.Type: FuelNTSB docket | |
| PrivatePiper PA31 · Amagansett, NY, United States of America | 4 killed / 4 on board | Flying from Newport to East Hampton, the pilot flew under a thunderstorm over the Atlantic despite weather warnings; the Chieftain hit the sea about a mile off Indian Wells Beach, Long Island. All four died. NTSB: turbulence and heavy rain under the storm caused loss of control.Type: Windshear or stormNTSB docket | |
| PrivatePiper PA31P · Laredo, TX, United States of America | 2 killed / 2 on board | Soon after takeoff from Laredo, Texas, the tower saw smoke from the PA-31P's left engine; the pilot came back to land, but in a turn to final beyond 90 degrees of bank it dived into the ground and burned. Both died. NTSB: engine malfunction of unknown cause, then loss of control.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Engine failureNTSB docket | |
| PrivatePiper PA31 · Northport, AL, United States of America | 6 killed / 6 on board | Diverting after a reported fuel pump failure, the private pilot said both engines had lost power; the Navajo hit trees 1,650 ft short of the runway at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and burned, propellers unfeathered. All six died. NTSB: fuel starvation from fuel mismanagement.Type: FuelNTSB docket | |
| Aeronational IncPiper PA31 · State College, PA, United States of America | 2 killed / 2 on board | Ending an air taxi flight to State College, Pennsylvania, under a 300 ft ceiling, the pilot kept flying an unstable ILS approach; the Navajo descended wings-level with power into woods about 1 mile out. The pilot and his customer died. NTSB: controlled flight into terrain.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Spohrer & Dodd Aviation LLCPiper PA31 · Weston, FL, United States of America | 1 killed / 3 on board | Nearing Fort Lauderdale, the Chieftain's right engine lost power and the pilot feathered the left propeller by mistake; it came down in a marsh near Weston, Florida. One of three on board died. NTSB: maintenance left out a fuel tank flapper valve, and the pilot had been drinking.Type: FuelNTSB docket | |
| Maui Island AirPiper PA31 · Lanai City, HI, United States of America | 3 killed / 6 on board | Taking off from Lanai, Hawaii, on a moonless night in gusty wind, the Maui Island Air Chieftain went into a steepening right turn and hit terrain about 1 mile away. Three of the six on board died. NTSB: spatial disorientation, with the pilot impaired by a sedating antihistamine.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| PrivatePiper PA-31-350 · Leesburg, FL, United States of America | 1 killed / 2 on board | Leaving a home airpark with no fuel service, the pilot dismissed his passenger's worry about low fuel gauges; about 20 minutes later both engines quit and the Chieftain hit trees near Leesburg, Florida. He died. NTSB: poor planning and fuel exhaustion, drug use contributing.Type: FuelNTSB docket | |
| AmeriflightPiper PA-31-350 · Payson, AZ, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | On an Ameriflight cargo run at dusk toward Payson, Arizona, under low cloud near high terrain, the Chieftain met strong up- and downdrafts and likely severe icing it was not certified for. The pilot lost control and died. NTSB: unforecast turbulence and icing.Type: IcingNTSB docket | |
| PrivatePiper PA-31P · Dalton, GA, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Soon after takeoff from Dalton, Georgia, as the pilot took the PA-31P for its annual inspection, the right engine lost power; he was slow to feather it, lost control and crashed into trees, which burned. He died. NTSB: loss of control after a power loss of unknown cause.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Engine failureNTSB docket | |
| Trans North Aviation LtdPiper PA-31-350 · Riverwoods, IL, United States of America | 3 killed / 5 on board | On a night air ambulance flight to Chicago Executive, the pilot declared he was out of fuel and tried to glide in; the Chieftain hit trees near Riverwoods, Illinois. The pilot and two passengers died; two others were hurt. NTSB: fuel exhaustion; the pilot had used illicit drugs.Type: FuelNTSB docket | |
| Aeronet SupplyPiper PA-31-350 · Las Vegas, NV, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Climbing out of North Las Vegas, the Chieftain's right engine lost power from a fuel-fed fire; trying to return, the pilot hit objects on short final and crashed into a house. He died and a person on the ground was slightly hurt. NTSB also faulted his response to the fire.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: FireNTSB docket | |
| Servant Air, Inc.Piper PA-31-350 · Kodiak, AK, United States of America | 6 killed / 10 on board | On a Part 135 air taxi flight from Kodiak, Alaska, the Chieftain's nose baggage door opened after takeoff; turning back, it rolled sharply right and dived into the bay offshore. Six of the ten on board died. NTSB: the operator's maintenance left the door latch badly set.Type: System failureNTSB docket |
Listed but not counted
These events happened on military, test or illegal flights, or were caused by a crime or a deliberate act, which says little about the aircraft design.
| Date | Flight | Killed | Why not counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| PrivatePiper PA-31-325 · Duluth, MN, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Test flight. The Navajo left South St Paul, Minnesota, on a four-hour flight to break in a newly fitted engine and was last seen on radar descending along the Lake Superior shore near Duluth. Neither the aircraft nor the pilot was found. NTSB: undetermined, because the aircraft was not found.Type: Unknown causeNTSB docket |
The piston Piper Navajo and Chieftain are the unusual case among the twins we rate: they fly for hire more than most, and their record sits in the middle of the small planes we rate, ahead of the bigger Cessna twins. Up to 28 October 2026 we count 18 fatal accidents on US flights since 2008, with 41 deaths, over about 2.4 million flights. Confidence is medium, but a sample this small is easy to read too much into.
What is a Navajo?
Piper first flew the PA-31 Navajo in 1964. It is a low-wing twin with six to ten seats, and the Chieftain is the longer PA-31-350 version. The PA-31P is the pressurised model. About 3,900 were built, and the FAA register lists about 720 in 2024, down from about 990 in 2014. Commuter airlines and air taxi firms in the 1970s and 80s used many. Today small charter firms, cargo carriers, air ambulance operators and private owners fly the survivors.
Who was flying, and why
| Flight purpose | Counted accidents |
|---|---|
| Private, survey and other | 10 |
| Ferry and positioning | 3 |
| Passenger (air taxi and air ambulance) | 4 |
| Cargo | 1 |
One further fatal flight, a test flight over Lake Superior in 2012, is excluded. Two Canadian-registered Navajos that crashed in New York, in 2017 and 2024, do not count, because only US-registered aircraft do. Fuel problems are the most frequent cause (6). Loss of control (3), flights into terrain (3) and four engine or system failures follow, with single cases of ice, fire and storm.
Hired work and old airframes
Use is the main thread. These planes work in Alaska, Hawaii and cargo networks, often at night. On 5 January 2008 a Servant Air Chieftain on a Part 135 air taxi flight had its nose baggage door open after takeoff and crashed into the bay at Kodiak, Alaska; six of ten died. The NTSB said the operator's maintenance left the latch badly set. On 26 February 2014 a Maui Island Air Chieftain crashed on a moonless night at Lanai; three of six died, and the NTSB cited spatial disorientation with a sedating antihistamine. On 29 November 2019 a Chieftain on an air ambulance positioning flight hit a mountain near Cooper Landing, Alaska; three died. On 18 December 2012 an Ameriflight cargo Chieftain met unforecast turbulence and ice near Payson, Arizona; the pilot died.
Fuel is the clearest pattern for private owners. On 14 August 2016 a Navajo diverting after a reported fuel pump failure lost power in both engines and hit trees short of the runway at Tuscaloosa, Alabama; all six died. The NTSB found fuel starvation from fuel mismanagement.
Age and design. Not much in the data is specific to the PA-31. Two crashes followed maintenance: on 21 May 2021 a pilot lost control soon after takeoff on the first flight after an annual inspection, and on 20 July 2023 a long-unflown PA-31P crashed on a ferry flight to an overdue annual, with known fuel leaks; the NTSB found blocked fuel injectors cut the power on take-off. Like other light twins, a Navajo loses a lot of performance on one engine; an engine problem on takeoff needs a fast, correct response.
Questions for an operator
- Ask for the Part 135 certificate and check it. A plane on a private (Part 91) flight is not held to air taxi rules.
- Ask whether two pilots will fly, and whether the flight goes at night or into mountains in poor weather. The State College air taxi crash on 16 June 2016, with a pilot and one customer, followed an unstable approach under a 300 ft cloud base.
- Ask how the operator handles fuel planning and who maintains the aircraft.
Is your charter a Navajo?
Trackers show PA31. Compare the Piper Seneca or the Beechcraft Baron. The small planes ranking and the method have the full picture.
Questions people ask
Is the Piper Navajo a safe plane?
Its record sits in the middle of the small planes we rate, ahead of the Cessna 310, 340, 414 and 421 twins. Our data counts 18 fatal accidents on US flights since 2008, over about 2.4 million flights, up to 28 October 2026. That is a small sample: confidence is medium, and a few events can move the score.
Is the Piper Chieftain used for air taxi flights?
Yes. The Chieftain is the longer PA-31-350. Our data includes air taxi, air ambulance and cargo flights on Navajos and Chieftains in the US. Four counted accidents were passenger flights and one was a cargo flight.
What is the difference between a Piper Navajo and a Chieftain?
The Chieftain is the later, longer, more powerful PA-31-350 version of the Navajo. There is also a pressurised version, the PA-31P. We rate the piston family together.
How do I check an air taxi operator?
Ask for the Part 135 certificate and check the operator's name against the FAA record. Ask whether two pilots fly the trip and what the weather minimums are. Search the plane's registration in the NTSB database.
Sources
- 1.NTSB docket: Piper PA-31-350, Kodiak, Alaska, 5 January 2008 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 2.NTSB docket: Piper PA31, Lanai City, Hawaii, 26 February 2014 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 3.NTSB docket: Piper PA-31-350, Cooper Landing, Alaska, 29 November 2019 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 4.NTSB docket: Piper PA-31-350, Payson, Arizona, 18 December 2012 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 5.NTSB docket: Piper PA31, Northport, Alabama, 14 August 2016 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 6.NTSB docket: Piper PA31, State College, Pennsylvania, 16 June 2016 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 7.SafetyScorer exposure model: FAA aircraft register, FAA General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey, OpenSky ADS-B, NTSB airframe hours (opens in a new tab)Flights of all kinds in the United States (private, training, charter and other civil use) 2008 to 3 November 2026, each counted from take-off to final landing: the hours of all US piston twins in each year (active aircraft and hours from the FAA General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey), split between types by US-registered aircraft (FAA register, 721 of this type in 2024) times how much each type flies against its class (1.59, mostly from airframe hours in NTSB accident records, partly from hours per aircraft seen by ADS-B receivers in 2019-2022), at 1.07 hours per flight from ADS-B tracks: about 151 flights per registered aircraft per year in 2024. Flights and accidents outside the United States, or before 2008, are not used. Against the FAA's hours per helicopter model, this method is off by about 22% on a typical type. Uncertainty roughly ±25%.