![]() An NTSB analysis for the period 1984 through 1994, however, placed the Tomahawks stall/spin accident rate as 3.4 to 5.6 times that of the Cessna 150/152. The FAA certified the Tomahawk for intentional spins in the Utility Category to the same standards as other spins-approved airplanes of the time.But, comparing accident rates on several levels for the period 1982 through 1990, the AOPA Air Safety Foundation found the Tomahawks stall/spin accident rate to be 1.7 to 2.5 times that of the Cessna 150/152 and 2.0 times that of the Beechcraft Skipper. The T-tail was all the rage back then, and Piper got a lot of things right: The Tomahawk has a roomy cabin, a well-placed fuel selector and a number of other features making it popular. The company needed a new-technology trainer to replace the venerable Cherokee 140 and compete against Cessnas 150/152. Piper designed the PA-38-112 back in the mid-1970s, when demand for GA airplanes was much higher. Aviation Safety made several attempts to contact the Trust for comment on this article. Whats the real story? How different is its stall/spin behavior? What do Tomahawk pilots need to know about its characteristics?Īfter Piper Aircraft Corporations bankruptcy, the Piper Aircraft Irrevocable Trust took responsibility for aircraft made before 1995, including the Tomahawk. Much has been published not only about the airplanes stall/spin characteristics, but also about the airplanes high number of strikingly similar flat spin encounters, several of which resulted in fatal accidents.According to a 1997 AOPA Air Safety Foundation publication, Safety Review: Piper Tomahawk PA-38-112, the Tomahawk has significantly different stall and spin characteristics, by design, from other comparable trainers. Along the way, the NTSB, FAA, New Piper Aircraft Company and AOPA have been at odds over whether the airplane meets the acceptable stall and spin behavior spelled out in certification standards.Aircraft designers, test pilots, safety advocates, instructors and pilots have also weighed in on both sides of the issue. With fewer than 2500 copies produced from 1978 through 1982, the airplane has sparked international debate regarding its stall and spin characteristics, earning it the nickname Traumahawk. Perhaps no other certificated, spins-approved trainer has generated as much controversy in recent years as the Piper Tomahawk.
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