Piper PA-44 Seminole Insurance Cost

Piper PA-44 Seminole Overview:

It’s hard to find a pilot who doesn’t have at least an hour or two in Piper’s incredibly popular Cherokee. In continuous production since 1961, more than 33,000 have rolled out of the factories in Lock Haven and Vero Beach. In the mid-1970s, a booming general aviation market had led Piper to explore a multi-engine trainer based on the Cherokee.

In order to keep design and production costs low, Piper utilized as much as possible from the successful PA-28 line. The fuselage was borrowed directly from the Cherokee Arrow with the same over-wing entrance door and aft baggage and a smooth nose cone replacing the single-engine. Also coming from the Arrow was the hydraulically retractable landing gear. The wing was largely cloned as well, though lengthened to accommodate wing-mounted engines and additional fuel. To reduce the effects of engine-out operations and improve the docility of the aircraft as a trainer, Piper selected counter rotating 180 horsepower Lycoming O-360 engines, with the left engine rotating clockwise and the right counter-clockwise as seen from the cockpit. This negated the torque effects of the engines when both were operating and reduced control forces when one was shutdown or simulated failed for training.

In keeping with Piper tradition of naming aircraft for Native American tribes, the new model was deemed the PA-44 Seminole and first flew in May 1976. Production of the Seminole commenced in 1978 and in 1979 was joined by the Turbo Seminole, capable of maintaining the 180 horsepower engine rating in hot weather and high altitude conditions. 1979 also saw the addition of optional three-bladed propellers to reduce noise in both models.

Unfortunately, the decline of general aviation in the late 1970s due to rising oil prices led to a slower order book than anticipated and production of both models of Seminole was paused in 1982 after slightly over 400 were produced. In the late 1980s a few dozen more non-turbocharged Seminoles were produced with few changes. After the reorganization of Piper in 1995 as the New Piper Aircraft company, the Seminole was reintroduced with updated avionics and cabin furnishings. It has remained in production continuously since 1995 with the only major change being the introduction of the Garmin G1000 integrated avionics system in 2009.

As of 2021, the Seminole remains the only purpose-built multi-engine trainer aircraft in production by the original “big three” general aviation manufacturers. Almost 1,000 have been sold to date and nearly 100 remain on the order books. By far the largest operators of the PA-44 are pilot training organizations, with the largest single user being ATP Flight School in the United States with 92.

Piper PA-44 Seminole Insurance Cost:

Aviation insurance in general, is a very specialized industry and premiums vary depending on make and model of the aircraft, hull value, use of the aircraft, pilot history and qualifications and aircraft insurance rates even take into account the loss history of each specific make and model and the loss history of the aviation industry as a whole.

Piper PA-44 Seminole insurance, like all aviation insurance, is broken down into 2 specific coverages. The first is Liability Coverage, which is standard on every aircraft insurance policy and the second is optional hull coverage, which covers damage to the aircraft itself.

Piper PA-44 Seminole aviation liability insurance covers damage caused by the aircraft, outside of the aircraft, specifically property damage, bodily injury, and provides for legal defense in the event that the aircraft owner or policyholder is sued.

Aircraft liability insurance is typically offered for Piper PA-44 Seminole’s at $1,000,000 per occurrence (per incident) and includes coverage for passengers, but typically limits that amount to between $100,000 and $1,000,000 per passenger. Passenger liability coverage is included within the total liability coverage amount.

A real-world example of how this aviation liability coverage would protect you: If, as a result of operating your Piper PA-44 Seminole you damaged property or caused bodily injury outside of the aircraft, you would have the full amount of total liability coverage to pay for damages that occurred, less the liability amount paid for passengers inside the aircraft. If the aircraft crashed and you had passengers inside the aircraft that were injured, your insurance policy would pay up to the policy passenger limit for each passenger.

This liability coverage also applies as a bubble that follows the aircraft around. If the aircraft is hangered, liability coverage extends throughout your hangar and it is this coverage that airports will typically require you to have. It’s not a separate insurance policy, it is actually coverage built into your standards airplane insurance policy.

Other liability options: Higher liability coverage on the Piper PA-44 Seminole may be available to qualified pilots with experience in the make and model and a minimum Private License/IFR rating.

The second coverage on a Piper PA-44 Seminole insurance policy is hull coverage and is an optional coverage. Aircraft hull insurance covers damage to the aircraft itself and is an agreed value, not subject to depreciation. Agreed value is decided during the initial insurance quoting process, the aircraft owner requests an insurance quote for his or her Piper PA-44 Seminole and requests a quote including hull coverage in the amount of say $900,000. Once an aviation insurance company provides a quote, they are agreeing with you that your aircraft is worth $900,000.
*Insurance companies may place additional stipulations on quotes to prove the value of your aircraft prior to binding, if your agreed value is higher than bluebook.

Most aviation insurance companies do not offer deductibles higher than $0 deductibles, which means in the event of a total loss, if your aircraft was insured for $900,000, you would get a straight check for $900,000.

Piper PA-44 Seminole Insurance Cost Breakdown:

As of January 2021, there are 5 carriers quoting Piper PA-44 Seminole insurance in the U.S. We consider qualified pilots to have at least a Private License and IFR Rating, with 1,000 total hours, 500 Multi-engine and 100 hours in the make/model.

For an annual policy with $1,000,000 in liability only coverage.
 Premium range for qualified pilots: $650-$800 per year.
 Premium range for less than qualified pilots (low-time/etc): $875-$1,150 per year.

For an annual policy with $1,000,000 in liability coverage and $900,000 in hull coverage
 Premium range for qualified pilots: $3,800-$6,700 per year.
 Premium range for less than qualified pilots (low-time/etc): $8,400-$18,000 per year.

BWI is a family-owned, nationwide insurance brokerage specializing in aviation insurance since 1977. Our dedicated Aviation Insurance Professionals are highly trained, hand-picked and experienced in helping Piper PA-44 Seminole owners and operators obtain the very best insurance coverage.

BWI offers comprehensive Piper PA-44 Seminole insurance policies for personal, business, charter, industrial aid, and commercial aviation uses.

For more information or to get an actual Piper PA-44 Seminole insurance quote, please fill out a quote request online here or call us at 800.666.4359