Pilatus PC-12 buyer's guide:
what the records reveal

The U.S. fleet at a glance

The FAA registry lists 1,409 Pilatus PC-12 aircraft, built between 1994 and 2026. The largest concentrations are registered in UT (130), TX (115), FL (107). A large, active fleet works in a buyer's favor: parts supply, mechanic familiarity and comparable sale prices are all easier to establish than on a rare type.

Where this fleet reports maintenance difficulties

FAA Service Difficulty Reports are filed by mechanics and operators when a component fails or malfunctions in service. Across the Pilatus PC-12 fleet, 288 reports have been filed against this type since 1997 — most airframes have zero reports on file, with a mean of 0.2 per airframe. The systems mechanics report most on this type:

• JASC 32 — Landing Gear : 56 reports fleet-wide
• JASC 21 — Air Conditioning : 33 reports fleet-wide
• JASC 27 — Flight Controls : 26 reports fleet-wide
• JASC 34 — Navigation : 22 reports fleet-wide
• JASC 24 — Electrical Power : 22 reports fleet-wide

Filing is voluntary, so these figures understate reality — but the RELATIVE weight of each system is exactly where an experienced buyer points the pre-buy inspection first. Reconciliation note: 1,264 further reports filed under these registrations were excluded because the aircraft model declared in the report shows they belong to previous holders of the same N-numbers.

The accident record, in numbers

The NTSB database holds 14 accident or incident records serial-matched to Pilatus PC-12 airframes in this fleet since 2008 — about 1 per 100 currently registered aircraft, of which 4 involved fatal injuries (most recent record: 2025). A further 28 records filed under the same N-numbers belong to different airframes (reused registrations) and are excluded.

Method: the denominator is the fleet currently on the FAA registry. Airframes destroyed and later deregistered leave that denominator, so this ratio understates lifetime accident history — read it as a fleet-profile indicator, not an accident rate. Fleet totals also reflect how the type is flown (training and commercial work versus private use), not just the machine itself.

Fleet-level counts tell you about the TYPE; what matters for your purchase is whether the specific airframe you are considering appears in that database — and U.S. registrations get reused, so a serial-number check matters. That per-aircraft lookup is exactly what a TailGuard report does.

Airworthiness directives to know about

38 airworthiness directives published since 2004 in our Federal Register database and matched to this type are currently open, including 1 recurring directive that must be re-complied with at set intervals. The full list of directives applicable to an older airframe is longer — build it at drs.faa.gov. The most recent in our database:

• AD 2026-15-07 · effective 2026-09-03 — report that, during an engine start on the ground, the airplane battery voltage dropped to a value that resulted in an avionic system shutdown
• AD 2026-12-01 · effective 2026-07-14 — report of the stall warning protection system (SWPS) engaging when not appropriate
• AD 2026-08-11 · effective 2026-05-11 — report that a brake shuttle valve (BSV) on a production airplane shuttled and isolated the brake line to the left- hand (LH) brake, which resulted in brake lock
• AD 2024-08-07 recurring · effective 2024-06-03 — revising the airworthiness limitation section (ALS) of the existing aircraft maintenance manual (AMM) or Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) for your airplane by introdu
• AD 2023-09-12 · effective 2023-07-05 — mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an a
• AD 2023-07-08 · effective 2023-05-19 — mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an a

Superseded directives are excluded from these counts. Directives apply by type — no database can tell you whether a given airframe complied. Only its logbooks can, and that is the single most important paperwork check of your pre-buy.

Ownership turnover

Comparing monthly FAA registry snapshots from Aug 2023 to Jun 2026, 451 of the 1,409 observed Pilatus PC-12 airframes — 32% — changed registrant at least once. This includes registrant-name changes that are not market sales — such as a transfer to an owner's LLC or trust — and newly delivered aircraft registered to their first buyer within the window. A recent ownership change is not a red flag by itself, but a rapid succession of owners deserves a direct question to the seller, and the registration timeline of the specific aircraft is worth reading before you negotiate.

Before you buy a Pilatus PC-12

A records-driven starting checklist for this type — derived from the figures above, to hand to your mechanic:

1. Inspect the landing gear closely — it is among the most-reported systems for this type in FAA Service Difficulty Reports (56 reports fleet-wide).
2. Inspect the air conditioning closely — it is among the most-reported systems for this type in FAA Service Difficulty Reports (33 reports fleet-wide).
3. Inspect the flight controls closely — it is among the most-reported systems for this type in FAA Service Difficulty Reports (26 reports fleet-wide).
4. Verify in the logbooks that the 1 recurring airworthiness directive matched to this type is signed off at the required intervals.
5. Confirm engine and airframe times against the logbooks and the most recent annual inspection.
6. Have a licensed A&P/IA perform a physical pre-purchase inspection — no records check replaces it.