Aircraft types · Light airplane · single piston

Piper PA-28 Cherokee family

The Piper PA-28 family (Cherokee, Warrior, Archer, Arrow and others) is a four-seat, single-engine, low-wing airplane used for training and personal flying.

Representative photo of a Piper PA-28 Cherokee family
Photo: Roland Balik, Public domain
On the US register18,608
Valid registrations18,315
Median age53 years
NTSB records since 19825,183

How old is the US fleet?

Age of US-registered Piper PA-28 Cherokee family aircraft, in years02,6195,2387,85810,4770–4: 659 aircraft0–45–9: 513 aircraft5–910–14: 160 aircraft10–1415–19: 36 aircraft15–1920–24: 159 aircraft20–2425–29: 286 aircraft25–2930–34: 56 aircraft30–3435–39: 90 aircraft35–3940–44: 449 aircraft40–4445–49: 3,145 aircraft45–4950+: 10,477 aircraft50+
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Age (years)Aircraft
0–4659
5–9513
10–14160
15–1936
20–24159
25–29286
30–3456
35–3990
40–44449
45–493,145
50+10,477

Ages from the year of manufacture in the FAA registry. Age alone says little about safety: aircraft are maintained on FAA-approved programs, and older airplanes flown by US airlines must also pass extra FAA aging-airplane inspections and records reviews at set intervals (14 CFR 121.1105).

Most common variants

PA-28-140
4,260
PA-28-181
3,549
PA-28-180
3,505
PA-28-161
1,526
PA-28R-200
1,223
PA-28-151
961
PA-28-235
860
PA-28R-180
535

Public NTSB records mentioning this type

The NTSB database lists 5,183 records involving a Piper PA-28 Cherokee family since 1982: 5,139 classified as accidents and 44 as incidents.

Records per year (last 10 years)

NTSB records per year involving the Piper PA-28 Cherokee family023466891’16: 79 records’16’17: 72 records’17’18: 85 records’18’19: 81 records’19’20: 65 records’20’21: 73 records’21’22: 75 records’22’23: 91 records’23’24: 75 records’24’25: 54 records’25’26: 56 records’26
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YearNTSB records
201679
201772
201885
201981
202065
202173
202275
202391
202475
202554
202656
Please read this before comparing numbers. These are raw counts of NTSB records, not rates. Types that are more numerous, fly more hours, or are used for training naturally appear more often. Counts include minor events and events with no injuries, and can't be used to compare the safety of one type with another. SafelyAboard does not rate or score aircraft. Records also include some events outside the US that the NTSB took part in.

Piper PA-28 Cherokee family: common questions

How many Piper PA-28 Cherokee family aircraft are registered in the US?

The FAA registry lists 18,608 aircraft matching the Piper PA-28 Cherokee family, of which 18,315 have a valid registration. That includes aircraft registered to airlines, lessors and other owners.

How old is the typical Piper PA-28 Cherokee family in the US?

The median age, from the year of manufacture in the FAA registry, is about 53 years. Age alone says little about safety: aircraft are maintained on FAA-approved programs, and older airplanes flown by US airlines must also pass extra FAA aging-airplane inspections and records reviews at set intervals (14 CFR 121.1105).

How can I tell if my flight is on a Piper PA-28 Cherokee family?

Your airline's app or booking usually shows the aircraft type. At the gate, you can read the tail number (on US aircraft it starts with N) and look it up on SafelyAboard. Airlines can swap aircraft, so check again on the day.

Is the Piper PA-28 Cherokee family safe?

SafelyAboard doesn't rate or compare aircraft types. The NTSB record counts on this page depend heavily on how many aircraft exist and how much they fly, so they can't be used to compare safety. For the bigger picture, see our explainer on how safe flying is overall.

Flying on a Piper PA-28 Cherokee family soon? Get a calm My Flight briefing, read what's normal on a flight, or see how safe flying is overall.

Similar types

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20,668 US-registered

Cirrus SR20 / SR22

8,706 US-registered

Data: FAA Releasable Aircraft Database (file dated 2026-10-16) and NTSB aviation accident database, refreshed 2026-10-17 20:47 UTC. Counts match FAA/NTSB make and model text and may include closely related variants.