Piper Pa-31t3-500 T-1040 (PAT4)
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ICAO PAT4 Small

Piper Pa-31t3-500 T-1040

Twin Turboprop· 2 globally registered

The Piper PA-44 Seminole is a light twin-engine trainer that has served as the primary multi-engine platform for commercial pilot certification since its introduction in 1978. Built as a twin-engine derivative of the PA-28 Cherokee Archer, the Seminole features counter-rotating propellers (a rarity in its class) that eliminate critical engine concerns and simplify single-engine handling for student pilots. Powered by two Lycoming O-360 engines producing 180 horsepower each, it cruises at around 160 knots and offers a service ceiling near 17,000 feet, making it capable enough for real-world light cargo and charter work while remaining forgiving for training operations. Though not designed for records or headlines, the Seminole carved out a lasting niche by being predictable, maintainable, and exactly complex enough to teach the fundamentals of multi-engine flight without overwhelming new pilots. Its docile stall characteristics and benign single-engine performance made it the go-to twin for flight schools worldwide, and thousands of airline pilots earned their multi-engine ratings behind its yoke. Beyond training, operators have found the PA-44 useful for light freight, aerial survey, and charter missions where twin-engine redundancy matters more than speed or payload. SkyMeter has tracked 42 flights across 5 airframes and 2 operators, with PRO AIRE CARGO & CONSULTING INC the largest observed operator.

ACTIVE AIRFRAMES
5
last 7 days
🏢
OPERATORS
2
unique airlines
📊
FLIGHTS
42
tracked
AVG DURATION
1h 20m
per flight
INCIDENT RATE
9.5%
4 flagged

Safety in context

The incident rate counts flights with ANY safety event detected by SkyMeter: go-arounds (a routine response, not a failure), unstable-approach gate flags (advisory thresholds), rejected takeoffs (the system working as designed), and runway events. It is NOT an accident rate or fatality rate. For accident statistics, refer to the NTSB Aviation Accident Database (USA) or the Aviation Safety Network. See methodology for what each event type measures.

Performance

Speed envelope & approach

Vref
100 kt
Vref range
Vmo
Mmo
Vne
202 kt
Vno
169 kt
Vs1 (clean)
63 kt
Vs0 (landing)
59 kt
Vfe
125 kt
Approach category
B

Dimensions

Airframe geometry

Wingspan
43 ft
Length
35 ft
Tail height
13 ft
Wheelbase
11 ft
Gear width
14 ft
Wake category
Light

Weight & identification

Operating limits

MTOW
9,000 lb
MALW
9,000 lb
Manufacturer model
Piper PA-31T3-500 T-1040
FAA designator
PAT4
Registered
2

Top operators

By fleet size · last 7 days

1

Safety profile

Flagged flights · last 7 days

Family

Related variants

0

No related variants.

Recent incidents

Flagged flights of PAT4

20
07/15/2026
43m
△ Low approach-stability score
07/15/2026
23m
△ Low approach-stability score
07/14/2026
40m
△ Low approach-stability score
07/14/2026
22m
△ Low approach-stability score
07/10/2026
25m
△ Low approach-stability score
07/09/2026
28m
△ Low approach-stability score
07/09/2026
1h 7m
△ Low approach-stability score
07/08/2026
25m
△ Low approach-stability score
07/08/2026
56m
△ Low approach-stability score
07/07/2026
39m
△ Low approach-stability score

Recent flights

Real flights of PAT4 · airborne ≥ 20 min

30
07/17/2026
1h 3m
No alerts
07/17/2026
1h 4m
No alerts
07/17/2026
1h 26m
No alerts
07/17/2026
1h 13m
No alerts
07/17/2026
56m
No alerts
07/17/2026
40m
No alerts
07/16/2026
20m
No alerts
07/16/2026
5h 53m
No alerts
07/16/2026
20m
No alerts
07/16/2026
2h 47m
No alerts
07/16/2026
54m
No alerts
07/16/2026
46m
No alerts
07/16/2026
1h 10m
No alerts
07/16/2026
1h 13m
No alerts
07/15/2026
8h 19m
No alerts
07/15/2026
43m
△ Low approach-stability score
07/15/2026
24m
No alerts
07/15/2026
1h 7m
No alerts
07/15/2026
23m
No alerts
07/15/2026
56m
No alerts
07/15/2026
23m
△ Low approach-stability score
07/15/2026
19m
No alerts
07/14/2026
23m
No alerts
07/14/2026
9h 44m
No alerts
07/14/2026
40m
△ Low approach-stability score
07/14/2026
1h 4m
No alerts
07/14/2026
59m
No alerts
07/14/2026
22m
△ Low approach-stability score
07/14/2026
21m
No alerts
07/13/2026
25m
No alerts
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© SkyMeter · All flight data subject to ODbL attribution · Tracking window: 7 days (free tier)