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How to Buy a Piper PA-31 Navajo / Chieftain: Buyer's Guide

A roomy, rugged cabin-class piston twin that hauls people and freight well, provided you buy the maintenance history along with the airplane.

Updated October 2026 · Market data from 40 live fyiAero listings, the FAA registry and NTSB records

Overview

The Piper PA-31 family is the airplane that put Piper in the cabin-class twin business. The original Navajo of the late 1960s offered a real walk-in cabin, an airstair door, turbocharged Lycomings and the ability to carry six to eight people with bags. The stretched PA-31-350 Chieftain followed with more seats and more power. These airplanes became staples of charter, cargo and commuter flying, and many have spent long careers working for a living.

fyiAero listings currently show 40 PA-31 family aircraft for sale out of a U.S. registered fleet of 752. Asking prices run from $69,500 to $1,149,000, with a median of $299,000. Listed model years span 1969 to 1985, and the median listed airframe has 6,672 hours. Most of what you will find is either a Navajo C/R or a Chieftain. Pressurized Navajos, Mojaves and the turboprop Cheyenne show up only occasionally.

This is a mature, well-understood airframe with good parts and shop support. The catch is that nearly every example is now 40-plus years old, often with a commercial past. The spread between a tired former freight hauler and a well-kept, upgraded owner-flown airplane is enormous. Your job as a buyer is to tell them apart before you sign.

Who it's for. The PA-31 suits an owner who regularly moves a family, a crew or a business team plus real baggage on 300 to 700 nm trips. It also suits operators flying light cargo or Part 135 charter. It is not a step-up airplane for a low-time pilot. You are managing two turbocharged engines, a hydraulic gear and flap system, a combustion heater, deice equipment and a heavy airplane that needs disciplined engine-out technique. Insurers will want to see substantial multiengine experience, initial type-specific training and annual recurrent training. Pilots without that background should expect higher premiums, a mentor or mandatory dual time, and possibly a requirement to fly with a qualified second pilot at first. Plenty of owners fly these single-pilot IFR. The ones who do it well treat it like the commercial airplane it is.

Generations and variants

What a Piper PA-31 Navajo / Chieftain costs to buy

23 priced listings on fyiAero right now ask between $69,500 and $1,149,000, with a median of $299,000 and a median of 6,672 hours total time. Against fyiEstimate, 6 are priced below estimate, 0 within range and 12 above.

• Ignore model year as a price guide. fyiAero listings show 1977 examples averaging $719,000 and 1979 examples averaging $562,166, while 1984 examples average $236,000 and 1985 examples $199,500. Samples are small, and engine times, mods and avionics drive value far more than the year.
• Lower airframe time does carry a premium. The few listings with 2,000-3,000 hours show a median of $422,500, versus $299,000 for the 19 listings with 5,000-plus hours. High time is normal for this type, though, so focus on how those hours were maintained.
• Price the engines first. Two turbocharged engines near or past TBO can easily swamp any discount on the airframe. Budget for overhauls on any airplane priced near the $69,500 low end of the market.
• Understand the airplane's history. Ex-Part 135 and cargo airplanes often have excellent, continuous maintenance records but heavy wear on interiors, doors, floors and gear. Long-idle owner airplanes may look nicer but hide corrosion and engine problems.
• Expect the median ask of $299,000 to buy a solid, flyable airplane with mid-time engines and reasonable avionics. The high end, up to $1,149,000, reflects heavily upgraded airplanes, Panther conversions, fresh engines or turboprop variants.
• Shop the whole family. Navajo C/R and Chieftain listings dominate supply, with 13 and 12 respectively, plus additional Chieftain entries under other model names. Pressurized and Mojave buyers should be ready to search nationally and wait.

Average asking price by model year

Median asking price by airframe time

Pre-buy inspection checklist

Have a shop that knows the type do the pre-buy, and ask them to research every applicable AD and service bulletin. Pay particular attention to:

• Wing spar, carry-through and structural corrosion. Age and commercial use make spar and structural corrosion and cracking the biggest-ticket risk. Have the shop research all applicable airworthiness directives and service bulletins on the wing structure and confirm compliance in the logs.
• Exhaust system, turbochargers and wastegates. Turbocharged exhaust components crack with heat cycling, and exhaust leaks can lead to in-flight fires. Inspect closely for cracks, leaks and proper turbo and wastegate function, and verify recurring exhaust inspection compliance.
• Combustion heater. The fuel-fired cabin heater is a known fire and carbon monoxide risk if neglected. Verify overhaul status and pressure-decay testing, and review heater-related ADs.
• Engines, engine mounts and engine logs. Two turbocharged engines are your largest cost exposure. Get compressions, borescope images, an oil analysis trend, and a review of time since overhaul, calendar time and overhaul quality. Check mounts and baffling as well.
• Landing gear, hydraulics and actuators. The hydraulic gear and flap system has engine-driven pumps, actuators, downlocks and hoses that wear, especially on high-cycle commercial airplanes. A gear swing, a leak check and a review of gear overhaul history are essential.
• Fuel cells and fuel system. Fuel bladders age and leak, and fuel selector valves and plumbing need to work flawlessly in a multi-tank twin. Look for staining, odor and cell replacement history.
• Propellers, governors and deice. Check prop overhaul times and AD compliance, unfeathering and feathering function, and the condition of prop and wing/tail deice boots. Deice equipment is costly to restore if the airplane is to be flown in known icing.
• Cabin door, airstair and cargo door. Doors on these airplanes see heavy use and can develop latch, hinge and seal problems that affect safety and pressurization. Check rigging and the condition of the frames.
• Pressurization system (PA-31P and Mojave). Pressurized examples need inspection of the pressure vessel, windows, outflow and safety valves, controller and door seals. A cabin leak-down check should be part of the pre-buy.
• Electrical system and wiring. Decades of avionics swaps and repairs leave chafed wiring, abandoned installations and tired alternators. Have the shop inspect bundles, check grounds and confirm that any installations have proper approvals.

Popular upgrades

• Panther conversion. The well-known Navajo conversion adds 350 hp engines, four-blade or Q-tip style props and winglets for better climb and single-engine performance. It is widely respected and typically adds meaningful resale value.
• Modern glass and GPS navigators. Retrofit EFIS displays and WAAS GPS navigators with a compliant ADS-B installation are what owner-flown buyers expect. Steam-gauge airplanes sell at a clear discount.
• Digital autopilot retrofits. Replacing old analog autopilots with a modern, supportable STC'd system greatly improves single-pilot IFR workload. Buyers pay for it, while unsupported legacy autopilots are a value drag.
• Vortex generators and winglets. Aerodynamic kits can lower minimum control and stall speeds and improve low-speed handling. They are a modest but positive value item, especially for owner-pilots.
• Engine monitors. Multi-probe engine monitors help manage turbocharged engines, catch problems early and support on-condition decisions. Buyers view them as a sign of a well-run airplane.
• Interior and executive seating refurbishment. Converting a worn commuter interior to club seating with fresh panels, carpet and soundproofing changes buyer perception dramatically. Expect to recover only part of the cost at resale.

Ownership costs

fyiAero's operating cost estimate puts variable costs at about $393 per hour and an annual budget of roughly $45,678 based on 73 flight hours. That estimate assumes about 51 gallons per hour, a 220-knot cruise, roughly 690 nm of range and about $1.79 per nautical mile. Actual burn and speed vary considerably by variant and power setting, so build your own budget for the specific airplane you are considering. The bigger swing items are engine overhaul reserves for two turbocharged engines and annual inspections, which commonly turn up corrosion, exhaust, heater and gear work on airplanes this age. Insurance depends heavily on pilot experience, and hangar costs are high because this is a large airplane. Plan a healthy cash reserve beyond the purchase price, particularly if you buy below the market median. fyiAero's average pre-owned value figure of $205,557 is a reminder that much of this fleet trades at prices where a single engine overhaul is a large share of the airplane's value.

Safety record

NTSB records show 33 accidents involving the PA-31 family in the last 10 years, 10 of them fatal and 7 resulting in destroyed aircraft. Against a registered fleet of 752, that works out to 43.9 accidents and 13.3 fatal accidents per 1,000 registered aircraft over the decade, or roughly 4 in 100 airplanes involved in an accident over ten years. Context matters. Many PA-31s fly hard commercial schedules, including night freight, charter and IMC operations, which expose them to more risk than a typical owner-flown airplane. The recurring themes are well known: engine failure on takeoff or at high weight, loss of control during single-engine operations, fuel management mistakes, weather and icing decisions, and gear or hydraulic issues. Buy a well-maintained airplane, get type-specific initial and recurrent training that emphasizes engine-out procedures, manage fuel carefully, and respect icing limits. Do those things and the PA-31 has a long record as a dependable workhorse.

Alternatives to consider

• Cessna 402 / 404 Titan. This is the most direct cabin-class competitor and is also favored by cargo and charter operators. The 404 offers more load capacity, while parts support and owner preference often decide between them and a Chieftain.
• Cessna 421 Golden Eagle. It is pressurized and offers more cabin comfort at altitude than an unpressurized Navajo. In exchange you take on geared engines, higher maintenance complexity and costlier engine overhauls.
• Beechcraft Baron 58. Smaller cabin, but faster per gallon and simpler to own, with a large support network. It is a better fit if you rarely fill more than four or five seats.
• Piper PA-31T Cheyenne. The turboprop step up offers jet-fuel reliability, pressurization and better performance. It also brings much higher acquisition, insurance and maintenance costs.
• Piper Aerostar. Much faster and sportier, with pressurized versions available. The tradeoff is a smaller cabin, less utility for cargo and a more demanding handling and maintenance profile.

Frequently asked questions

Piper PA-31 Navajo / Chieftain for sale

📷 14

1978 PIPER PA-31 350 CHIEFTAIN

Call for price N241WF

Autopilot

📷 11

1980 PIPER NAVAJO CR

$349,000 N41TN

fyiEstimate $326k–$334k

GPS Autopilot

📷 12

1979 PIPER NAVAJO CHIEFTAIN

$457,500 N151ST

fyiEstimate $275k–$282k

LYCOMING TIO-540-J2BD GPS FIKI

📷 13

1980 PIPER NAVAJO CR

Call for price N893CB

fyiEstimate $310k–$318k

LYCOMING TIO-540-J2B GPS Autopilot

📷 20

1984 PIPER MOJAVE

$370,000 N331NC

LYCOMING TIO-540-V2AD GPS Autopilot FIKI

📷 15

1981 PIPER NAVAJO CHIEFTAIN

Call for price N4097K

fyiEstimate $249k–$256k

LYCOMING TIO-540-J2B GPS Autopilot

Prices, fleet and safety figures update automatically from fyiAero listings, the FAA aircraft registry and NTSB data. The editorial was written by fyiAero with AI assistance from that data and general type knowledge. It is not a substitute for a pre-buy inspection, title search or professional advice.