Piper PA-23-250 Aztec

The Aztec is the airplane the PA-23 line was always trying to be. Piper took the Apache's fat, forgiving wing and roomy fuselage, threw away the 160-horsepower Lycomings that had made it a joke among twin pilots, hung a pair of 250 hp six-cylinder O-540s on it and gave it a stabilator borrowed from the Comanche. The result was a light twin that could genuinely carry what it looked like it could carry: six seats, 144 gallons of fuel, better than a ton of useful load, and short-field manners no other cabin twin of its era could match.

It is worth being clear about what the Aztec is not. It is not fast — 181 knots is respectable for 1964 and unremarkable now, and a modern high-performance single will match it on half the fuel. It is not efficient — 27 gallons an hour is the price of two engines. What it is, is a load hauler with two of everything, and that combination kept it flying freight, air ambulance, survey and charter work for decades after the private market moved on. AOPA's own summary is the fairest one written: "The Aztec was never the fastest light twin, nor the one with the greatest payload, nor the most powerful. But in terms of cabin space, load-hauling ability, fuel economy, range, VMC, short-field performance, durability, and accelerate/stop distance, it matched or beat its rivals handily."

Production ran from 1959 to 1981 across six models — the original five-seater, then the B, C, D, E and F — with turbocharged versions available from the B onward. The C is the volume model and the F, with its cambered wingtips and flap-to-stabilator trim interconnect, is the one working operators want.

Buyers cross-shopping light twins in the same money usually look at the Piper PA-30/PA-39 Twin Comanche, which is faster on much less fuel but cannot approach the Aztec's load, and the Beechcraft Baron 55, which is faster and better finished but carries less and lands longer. For genuinely heavy work the next step up is the Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain.

Every row carries its own figures. The frontmatter above describes the Aztec C row only.

Two rows deliberately not here: the 1960–61 five-seat Aztec and the PA-23-235 Apache 235. Both are five-seat, 4,800 lb airplanes and both live on piper-pa23-250-aztec-early.

The Aztec F's usable fuel, and why this page stores 144

TCDS 1A10 Section VI is the only place on the whole certificate where a usable fuel quantity appears in gallons: "(Each tank 34.3 gallons usable)", which is 137.2 gallons usable on the F. It reconciles exactly with NOTE 1's statement that the unusable fuel on those serials is 40.8 lb (6.8 gallons) — 144 − 6.8 = 137.2.

For the Aztec C, NOTE 1 gives the unusable quantity only as a weight, 22 lb, and turning that into gallons needs a fuel density the certificate does not state in that sentence. Applying the 6.0 lb/gal implied by the F's own numbers gives 140.3 gallons usable, and that is a calculation of ours, not a figure of the FAA's. So fuel_capacity_gal holds the 144-gallon total, in a field this catalogue defines as usable, and it is not listed as sourced. An Aztec C Owner's Handbook is what would fix it, and it would move max_fuel_weight_lbs down with it.

The cruise, burn and range on this page are not one row of one table, and that is stated rather than hidden. They come from AOPA and they describe three different conditions:

• 181 KTAS — "A normally aspirated C had a top speed of 218 mph (189 knots) and cruised at 208 mph (181 kt)." No power setting is given. The 189-knot top speed is deliberately not the stored figure.
• 27.4 gph — AOPA's fact sheet, "Avg. Fuel Burn at 75% power in standard conditions per hour", 1965 Aztec C column. That is 13.7 gallons a side.
• 721 nm — "at a 'normal' cruise power setting (about 80-percent power), fuel would last about 4 hours and 830 miles with no reserves". 830 statute miles converts to 721 nm. With no reserves. Do not plan a 700-mile leg on this number; AOPA's own long-range figure is 1,130 nm at nearly eight hours, also with no reserves, and the honest planning figure sits well below both.

cruise_percent_bhp and cruise_altitude_ft are left blank because no source ties the speed to a setting. An Aztec C Owner's Handbook cruise grid is the single most valuable document still missing from this page.

Climb and ceiling are the C's own. 1,650 fpm at gross and a 21,000 ft service ceiling are AOPA's figures for the 1965 C; the D and E drop to 1,490 fpm and 19,800 ft on the same source, which is a real generational difference and is in the Variants table rather than averaged in here.

Runway figures are the D/E era, not the C. AOPA gives 820 ft of takeoff roll, 1,250 ft over a 50-foot obstacle, 1,250 ft over the same obstacle landing and 850 ft of landing roll — but attaches them to the airplane "by this time", in a paragraph that sits between the D and the E. They are stored because they are the best available and they are almost certainly where the pre-split page's identical numbers came from, but they are not listed as sourced for the C.

Single-engine performance is the number this page cannot give you, and it matters more than anything above. TCDS 1A10 publishes no performance at all, and neither AOPA source states a single-engine climb rate or ceiling for any Aztec. The pre-split page asserted "useful single-engine ceiling is 6,400 feet" and "actual single-engine climb can be closer to 100–150 FPM" with nothing behind either; both have been deleted rather than repeated. What can be said with a source is that AOPA puts Vmc at 80 mph (70 KIAS) and Vyse at 102 mph (89 KIAS) for a C, that both are low for the class, and that the Aztec's reputation as a forgiving twin rests on that low Vmc rather than on any surplus of single-engine climb. Treat the second engine as a way to reach an airport, not as a way to keep climbing, and get the real numbers out of the flight manual for the specific airplane and its weight before you need them.

Speeds worth knowing, all AOPA, all for a C: rotation 88 mph (76 KIAS), Vyse 102 mph (89 KIAS), Vy 120 mph (104 KIAS), cruise climb 135 mph (117 KIAS), Vmc 80 mph (70 KIAS).

The V-speed fields are named _kias and 1A10 states its limits as CAS. The block heading reads Airspeed Limits (CAS) and the certificate carries no finding that indicated airspeed equals calibrated on this type. The stored figures are the certificate's own bracketed knots, unconverted — house rule, recorded in the saved passage. AOPA independently prints the same numbers and labels them KCAS, which is at least a confirmation that both documents mean the same thing.

Vfe is the base airplane's full-flap limit, 109 knots. The 139 and 122 knot part-flap limits apply only "when Item 625 is installed" on S/N 27-2505 and up, and became standard only on the F.

Va is weight-scheduled: 129 knots at 5,200 lb, 126 knots at 4,800 lb. This page stores the gross-weight figure. The Aztec B, at 4,800 lb, is a 126-knot airplane.

All figures for the Aztec C: 5,200 lb maximum takeoff, 2,933 lb standard empty, 2,267 lb useful load, 4,400 lb maximum zero-fuel weight, 144 gallons total, 300 lb of baggage split 150 lb forward and 150 lb aft.

Read the zero-fuel weight first, every time. It is 4,400 lb, so everything that is not fuel — people, bags, equipment — is capped at 4,400 − 2,933 = 1,467 lb, regardless of how much useful load is left. That is the number that governs a heavy trip, and it is the reason the Aztec's 2,267 lb useful load is not 2,267 lb of payload.

Full fuel, two adults. 144 gal is 864 lb. Two people and bags at 500 lb gives 1,364 lb aboard, 4,297 lb ramp weight, zero-fuel weight 3,433 lb. Comfortable in every dimension, four hours of endurance. This is the airplane's natural mission.

Four adults and bags, full fuel. Four at 190 lb plus 150 lb of bags is 910 lb. Zero-fuel weight 3,843 lb — inside the 4,400 lb limit. Add 864 lb of fuel and the takeoff weight is 4,707 lb, under 5,200. Full fuel and four adults is genuinely achievable, which is more than most six-seat twins of this era can say. Watch the 150 lb per compartment baggage limit rather than the 300 lb total.

Six adults and bags. Six at 180 lb is 1,080 lb, plus 200 lb of bags is 1,280 lb. Zero-fuel weight 4,213 lb — still inside 4,400. Fuel available to 5,200 lb: 5,200 − 2,933 − 1,280 = 987 lb, about 164 gallons, which is more than the tanks hold, so fill them: takeoff weight 5,077 lb. Six people and full fuel, at average weights, is legal. That is the headline capability of the type and it is the reason the Aztec still earns a living.

Where it stops working. Six adults at 200 lb each plus 300 lb of baggage is 1,500 lb of payload, which puts zero-fuel weight at 4,433 lb — over the limit before a single gallon is loaded. On this airplane you run out of structure before you run out of tank, and no amount of leaving fuel behind fixes it.

The Aztec was certificated in 1959 and every panel in the fleet is somebody's retrofit. AOPA's article notes the Aztec B was one of the first light aircraft with a modular instrument panel, which makes avionics work markedly cheaper on a B or later than on most airplanes of the era — instruments and radios come out without dismantling the panel structure. The D standardised the six-pack in a conventional T, so a D or later starts from a modern scan.

Original / minimally updated (adds little to value): King KX-170 series nav/comms, KR-86 ADF, KT-76 transponder, vacuum AI and DG, Piper AutoControl or Altimatic autopilot. Check ADS-B Out compliance explicitly — it is not safe to assume on an airplane in this tier.

Mid-tier modernised: GNS 430/530 (WAAS or not — ask), GTX 335/345 ADS-B transponder, S-TEC 50/55 autopilot, engine monitor, a G5 or GI 275 replacing the vacuum attitude indicator. This is where most flying Aztecs sit and it is enough airplane for real IFR.

Well-equipped: GTN 650/750 navigator, GI 275 or G500 TXi displays, GFC 500 autopilot where the STC covers the type, GMA 35c audio panel, ADS-B In and Out. A full panel rebuild on a twin runs well into five figures and rarely returns its cost on resale, so buy the panel you want rather than planning to build it.

On any Aztec, an engine monitor is not optional equipment. Six cylinders times two, air-cooled, and on the turbo airplanes a turbocharger that punishes inattentive temperature management. A JPI or EDM-class monitor on both engines is the cheapest insurance on the airplane.

See Avionics Pricing Reference for current pricing.

Met-Co-Aire tip tanks. Add usable fuel and replace the wingtips. AOPA records that the F could be had with 20-gallon tip tanks from the factory, giving 1,300 nm with 45-minute reserves normally aspirated and 1,145 nm turbocharged — the only reserve-inclusive range figure published anywhere for this type. Aftermarket tank STCs exist for earlier models. Any added fuel runs straight into the 4,400 lb zero-fuel weight, which is a structural limit on the wing and is not negotiable: more fuel does not buy more payload, it trades payload for range.

Vortex generators. STC'd kits are offered for the PA-23 and the claimed benefits are lower stall speeds and improved low-speed handling. Treat vendor performance claims as vendor performance claims; the airframe benefit that matters is handling at Vmc.

Rajay turbocharger kits. Aftermarket turbo STCs were sold for normally aspirated Aztecs. Parts support is now poor. A factory TIO-540-C1A airplane is the better buy if turbocharging is the goal.

Scimitar propeller conversions. Marketed for noise and a couple of knots. Confirm the specific hub and blade combination is on the STC for your serial, and budget the overhaul cost of a feathering prop before treating it as a bargain.

The Geronimo conversion, which is the significant modification family on this type certificate, applies to the Apache and not to the Aztec — see piper-pa23-apache.

See Maintenance Ecosystem.

Mechanic familiarity: specialist. The AD burden, the hydraulic system and the twin-engine complexity mean a shop that knows PA-23s is worth travelling to. The Piper Apache Club and the Piper Owner Society are the places to find one.

Parts availability: fair. Consumables and engine parts are easy. Airframe parts, hydraulic components and interior pieces are increasingly hard, and lead times are real. This is the single biggest practical difference between owning an Aztec and owning a Bonanza.

Hourly running cost, built from this page's own fields:

• Fuel at 27.4 gph — the largest line by far, and it does not get smaller
• Engine overhaul reserve: $52,000 ÷ 2,000 hr = $26 per engine per hour, so $52/hr for the pair. (The stored engine_overhaul_cost_usd is PER ENGINE and the cost model multiplies it by engine_count.)
• Propeller reserve: the catalogue derives $6,000 per propeller at 2,000 hours for a piston twin, which is two full-feathering hubs. The pre-split page stored $1,150 per propeller with no source — far below the cost of overhauling a feathering hub — and that figure has been removed so the derived value applies.
• Maintenance reserve on top, and on this type it should be generous

The first annual on an unfamiliar Aztec is the one to budget for. Everything deferred by the previous owner surfaces at once, and on an airplane with this many recurring inspections that can be a large number. Subsequent annuals on a well-sorted airplane are much more predictable.

See Aircraft Valuation Methodology.

The pricing on this page is legacy data from the April 2026 generation pass and has NOT been re-sourced. It is carried unchanged rather than adjusted so that no new unverified number is introduced. Treat the band as a rough orientation and price a specific airplane from current asking prices and a Vref or Bluebook lookup.

What can be said with confidence, because it is arithmetic rather than market opinion:

• Engine time dominates. Two IO-540s at $52,000 each is $104,000 of liability before accessories, removal and installation. A run-out pair moves the value of the airframe by more than any avionics package will.
• Later is worth more, and for real reasons. The D's standardised panel, the E's nose and windshield, the F's flap-to-stabilator interconnect and cambered tips are each genuine improvements, not trim.
• Turbo carries a premium and a bill. Two turbochargers, two more sets of temperature limits, and a fleet that has often been flown high and hard.
• The F is the operator's choice. It is also the only block whose usable fuel the FAA states, which tells you something about how much better documented the late airplanes are.

The PA-23 series carries a heavy AD burden; the ones below are the load-bearing ones for a pre-buy. Verify current applicability against the FAA's own AD database for the specific serial number — the list a type club publishes is a starting point, not a compliance record.

Zero-fuel weight — AD 83-22-01. Applies to Models PA-23-235, PA-23-250 and PA-E23-250 (Amendment 39-10852, later clarified in 1998), and requires zero-fuel weight limitations to be inserted into the flight manual to prevent wing structure damage from excessive fuel weight. The limit itself is on the type certificate: 4,400 lb normally aspirated, 4,500 lb turbocharged, for the serials this page covers. It is not paperwork — it governs every heavy loading the airplane will ever do, and it is tighter than the useful load suggests.

Nose baggage door — AD 2009-13-06 (Amendment 39-15944, 12 June 2009). Covers certain Piper PA-23, PA-31 and PA-42 airplanes. It life-limits safety-critical nose baggage door components and requires their replacement plus repetitive inspection and lubrication of the latching mechanism and lock assembly. It was issued after several incidents and accidents, including fatal ones, in which the nose baggage door opening in flight was a causal factor. This is a long-nose-Aztec AD — the forward baggage compartment appears on the type certificate at S/N 27-2000 — and it is a specific, checkable item on any B or later.

Other ADs referenced by the pre-split page have NOT been verified against the FAA database in this pass and have been removed rather than repeated. A complete AD list for a specific serial is a pre-buy deliverable, not a catalogue entry.

Pre-buy red flags, in the order they cost money:

• Hydraulics. One engine-driven pump — on the left engine — runs the gear and flaps, with a hand pump and a CO2 blow-down as backups. Forty to sixty years of hoses, O-rings and valves. Budget for it and fly the emergency extension with an instructor before you need it.
• Fuel cells. Four bladders. They crack with age, and a set is a five-figure job with the labor. An Aztec on original cells is deferred maintenance wearing a paint job.
• Steel-tube structure and the rear fuselage. Borescope the tubes. Trainer airplanes in particular take a beating around the rudder stops and the rear bulkhead.
• Engines, twice over. Two IO-540s at $52,000 each at the national specialty tier, before accessories and before removal and installation. A pair at TBO is a six-figure liability and it dominates the purchase price.
• Janitrol combustion heater. Time-limited between overhauls and a common deferred item.
• AD records. An airplane without a complete, legible AD compliance record on a type with this many ADs is not a cheap airplane, it is an unknown one.

See GA Insurance Underwriting. The Aztec underwrites as a vintage light twin: retractable, two engines, high hull-to-pilot-experience ratios, and a type most underwriters know well.

Expect a multi-engine rating to be required, an instrument rating to be expected for full hull coverage, a meaningful dual requirement in make and model before solo, and annual recurrent training as a condition of the better rates. Turbo airplanes carry a modest surcharge. The premiums quoted in this catalogue's typical_hull_insurance_annual_usd field are a band, not a quote — get one before you make an offer, because on a twin the insurance answer can change the buying decision.