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En route
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Direct cost
Fuel cost
Tanks run dry about past before at this burn.
Mission Profile
- High-Performance
- Complex
- Multi-Engine
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Estimated Ownership Costs
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About the Piper PA-31T3-500 T-1040
Type certificated 1982 Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet
Overview
The Piper PA-31T3-500 T-1040 is a rare commuter turboprop developed in the early 1980s by mating the unpressurised fuselage of the Chieftain with the wings, tail, and PT6A-11 engines of the Cheyenne I. Piper certified the type in 1982 and built only 24 airframes through 1984, targeting the third-level commuter airline market that needed turbine reliability without the cost or complexity of a pressurised cabin.
The design rationale was specific: short-haul feeder routes typically run under 200 miles, where pressurisation adds weight and cost without operational benefit. The result is an 11-passenger turboprop with a useful load above 3,800 lbs, capable of operating from 3,000 ft strips and burning Jet A. Most units served regional carriers like Bar Harbor Airlines and Sunbird Airlines before the deregulation era reshaped commuter aviation. That commuter history still names the airplane’s buyer: a regional feeder, cargo, or jump operator who wants PT6A turbine reliability and an eleven-seat, 3,800-pound load over short feeder legs, and who has no use for a pressurised cabin to fly them.
Key Features for GA Buyers
- Payload Utility: Without pressurisation equipment, the T-1040 carries an exceptional useful load (3,800 lbs+), making it well suited to cargo, jump operations, or high-density passenger configurations.
- Turbine Reliability: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-11 engines deliver 500 shp per side with 3,600 hr standard TBO, significantly more reliable and longer-running than the piston Chieftain’s Lycoming TIO-540s.
- Cabin Volume: The stretched Chieftain fuselage seats up to 11 in commuter configuration, or holds substantial cargo with seats removed and an optional belly pod fitted.
- Short-Field Capability: Wing loading and engine power yield landing distances under 2,200 ft, opening regional fields that jet operators cannot serve.
Trade-offs
- Unpressurised: Service ceiling is 24,000 ft but most operations run between 10,000 and 14,000 ft, leaving the aircraft below most weather rather than above it.
- Rarity: With only 24 built, type-specific parts and experienced maintenance are increasingly difficult to source. Many components are shared with the Cheyenne I and Chieftain, but unique hybrid items have no aftermarket.
- Fuel Burn: Cruise burn near 66 GPH erodes the economic case for low-utilization private operators.
- Limited Resale Market: The combination of small fleet size, commuter-spec interiors, and aging avionics keeps the secondary market narrow.
See Also
- Piper Cheyenne I – the pressurised engine sibling sharing the PT6A-11 powerplant. Compare
- Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain – the piston-powered fuselage donor, still in widespread commuter and freight service. Compare
- Beechcraft King Air 90 – the dominant pressurised PT6A-class turboprop the T-1040 was meant to undercut. Compare
- Beechcraft King Air 100 – a slightly larger commuter turboprop competitor with proven third-level operator support. Compare
- Piper PA-31P-350 Mojave – the pressurised piston sibling on the same PA-31 fuselage family. Compare
Technical Specifications
Dimensions & Weights
- Height
- 13 ft
- Length
- 37 ft
- Parking area (ft²2)
- 2,129 ft²
- Max Takeoff Weight
- 9,000 lbs
- Max Landing Weight
- 9,000 lbs
- Useful Load
- 3,800 lbs
- Fuel Capacity
- 260 gal
Performance
- Cruise Speed
- 236 KTAS
- Never-Exceed (VNE)
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 230 KIAS
- Max Structural Cruise (VNO)
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 230 KIAS
- Approach Speed
- 90 KIAS
- Stall, Clean (VS1)
- 86 KIAS
- Range
- 950 NM
- Service Ceiling
- 24,000 ft
- Rate of Climb
- 1600 fpm
- Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle
- 2,650 ft
- Landing over 50 ft obstacle
- 2,150 ft
Engines
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Sources
Where the figures on this page come from. Piper PA-31T3-500 T-1040 specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.
Similar to the Piper PA-31T3-500 T-1040
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