New In The Piston Hangar: Cessna 340A, T303 Crusader, Warrior II & Comanche 250 Enter BAS Disassembly
Posted by Clinton McJenkin on Sep 1st 2026
Four more piston aircraft have entered the BAS hangar, bringing a useful mix of cabin-class twin, light-twin, trainer and retractable-single components into the parts pipeline. This round includes a Cessna 340A, a rare Cessna T303 Crusader, a Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II and a Piper PA-24-250 Comanche. Expected recovery ranges from Garmin avionics and autopilot equipment to Continental and Lycoming engines, McCauley and Hartzell propellers, landing gear systems, electrical components and aircraft-specific hardware. Their flying assignments may be finished, but plenty of useful parts still have work ahead.
Four Airplanes. Four Different Routes to the BAS Hangar.
There is no standard retirement plan for an airplane.
One aircraft arrived after ice accumulation and reduced speed contributed to a hard landing. Another left the paved surface during ground movement. A retractable Piper had its right main gear give up the assignment during rollout. The fourth airplane simply reached the point where its owner retired and keeping it on the business spreadsheet no longer made sense.
That last one may have the least dramatic story, but it might be the most honest.
This round of New In The Piston Hangar includes a Cessna 340A, Cessna T303 Crusader, Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II and Piper PA-24-250 Comanche. Their flying careers ended for very different reasons, but each aircraft arrived with systems and components that still matter to owners, mechanics and shops supporting the remaining fleet.
Now the assignments change.
In This Video: Piper Cherokee Warrior Cessna Skymaster Cessna 414
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Cessna 340A
Pressurized Travel With a Parts List to Match
The Cessna 340 was conceived as a cabin-class development of the Cessna 310, combining a six-seat layout, pressurization, an aisle and an airstair door in a relatively compact light twin. The later 340A became the main version of the family, bringing 310-horsepower Continental TSIO-520-NB engines and smaller-diameter propellers intended to reduce exterior noise.
That combination made the 340A a serious traveling airplane for owners who wanted pressurized capability without moving into a much larger cabin-class platform. It also created an aircraft full of systems that remain relevant today, from turbocharged Continental support components and pressurization equipment to landing gear, avionics and specialized airframe hardware.
This Cessna 340A came to BAS after ice accumulation added weight and reduced speed contributed to a hard landing. Both propeller systems were involved, so both engines are being handled with prop-strike status. The airplane is now entering BAS disassembly with a strong avionics package, twin Continental engines, two McCauley propellers and a particularly valuable windshield hot plate among the expected recovery.
Expected Cessna 340A Parts Recovery
- X2 Continental TSIO-520-NB engines, both struck
- LH: 346 SMOH, 1792 TT
- RH: 856 SMOH, 5097 TT
- McCauley 3AF32C505-C (LH: Struck, 268 SMOH)
- McCauley 3AF32C93-QR (RH: Struck 1643 SMOH)
- Garmin GNS-430W WAAS/GPS/Nav/Comm
- Garmin GTX-345 ADS-B In/Out Transponder
- Aspen EFD-100 MFD System
- Bendix IN-152A Radar Display
- King KNS-80 Nav Unit
- PS Engineering PMA7000BT Bluetooth Audio Panel
- King KY-196 Comm Transceiver
- Windshield Hot Plate
- Mid-Continent TA102 Dual USB power port
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Colorado: 970-313-4823
Missouri: 816-690-8800
Cessna T303 Crusader
Rare Enough That Every Useful Component Counts
The T303 Crusader came from Cessna taking a second look at the light-twin market.
The original design began as the four-seat Cessna 303 Clipper, but changing demand sent the aircraft back through development. It returned as the six-seat T303 Crusader, an all-metal, low-wing twin with retractable tricycle landing gear. At the time, it was Cessna's first all-new production twin in more than a decade.
Only 297 T303 Crusaders were built before production ended. That limited production run matters now. A smaller original fleet means a smaller pool of Crusader-specific replacement parts, especially for landing gear systems, counter-rotating powerplant installations, avionics and aircraft-specific airframe hardware.
This 1982 T303 left the paved surface during ground movement and came to rest in a ditch. Both propeller systems were involved, and both Continental engines are being handled with prop-strike status. It is now in the BAS hangar with dual Garmin navigators, counter-rotating Continental power, Crusader landing gear equipment and a useful collection of flight and safety systems headed into recovery.
Expected Cessna T303 Crusader Parts Recovery
- Continental TSIO-520-AE (Pprop strike, 148 SMOH)
- Continental LTSIO-520-AE (Prop strike, 1458 SMOH)
- McCauley 3-blade propeller
- M/N 3AF32C506/82NEB, 148 hours SMOH
- McCauley 3-blade propeller
- M/N 3AF32C507/L82NEB, 148 hours SMOH
- Garmin GTN-750 GPS/Nav/Comm
- Garmin GTN-650 GPS/Nav/Comm
- Garmin GI-106B VOR/LOC
- Cessna Nav-O-Matic 400B autopilot
- Bendix Radar Display
- Power pack
- Nose and main landing gear actuators
- Artex ELT
Piper PA-24-250
The Bigger-Engine Comanche That Became the Favorite
The PA-24 Comanche was Piper's clean-sheet traveling single before the PA-28 family became the company's defining light-aircraft line. It brought together an all-metal low-wing airframe, retractable tricycle landing gear, a laminar-flow wing and an all-flying stabilator in a design built for owners who wanted more speed and cross-country ability.
The original production Comanche used 180 horsepower, but Piper quickly added the PA-24-250 in 1958 with a 250-horsepower Lycoming O-540. The larger engine changed the aircraft's personality and found a willing market. With 2,537 built, the PA-24-250 became the most numerous of the single-engine Comanche variants.
This Comanche's right main landing gear collapsed during rollout, bringing the propeller into contact and ending its flying assignment. It is now entering BAS disassembly with a Lycoming O-540, a Hartzell two-blade propeller, a modern Garmin avionics package, Trio autopilot equipment and a valuable mix of Comanche electrical, lighting, safety and landing gear components.
For an aircraft family that has been out of production for more than half a century, useful PA-24 components do not need much of an introduction.
They need accurate listings and the right buyer.
Expected Piper PA-24-250 Comanche Parts Recovery
- Lycoming O-540-A1D5
- Prop strike, 750 SMOH, 3332 TT
- Hartzell HC-A2MVK-1 2-blade propeller (struck)
- Garmin GNX-375 GPS/ADS-B Transponder
- Gamin GI-275 Indicator
- Garmin GMA-345 Bluetooth Audio Panel
- Garmin GNC-255A Nav/Comm
- Trio Avionics Pro Pilot Autopilot System
- King KY-97A VHF Comm
- LED Landing Lights
- LED Beacon Light
- External power plug
- Garmin GSB-15 Dual USB power port (USB/USB-C)
- PAI-700 Vertical card compass
- Shoulder Harnesses
- Landing gear motor
Need Help?
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Colorado: 970-313-4823
Missouri: 816-690-8800
Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II
The Quiet Retirement in a Lineup Full of Plot Twists
Not every airplane needs a dramatic final chapter.
The PA-28 family was created as a simpler and less expensive alternative to Piper's larger Comanche. The Warrior branch arrived with Piper's semi-tapered wing, and the PA-28-161 Warrior II brought 160 horsepower to the formula. It became the kind of airplane general aviation leans on heavily: straightforward, familiar, practical and willing to keep showing up.
This Warrior II did exactly that.
The aircraft served its owner and the business it belonged to until the owner retired and the airplane was no longer needed. Shop information indicates more than 10,000 total airframe hours, with the logbooks and final recorded times still pending. That is not a flashy story. It is evidence of an airplane that spent a long time doing the job it was bought to do.
Now it has another practical assignment. Its Lycoming engine, Sensenich propeller, King avionics, ADS-B equipment, landing gear and PA-28 hardware are entering the BAS recovery process for a Warrior fleet that is still training pilots and carrying owners every day.
Expected Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II Parts Recovery
- Lycoming O-320-D3G
- Sensenich propeller
- RC Allen digital horizon indicator
- Uavionix TailBeacon ADS-B out transmitter
- King KX-175B Nav/Comm
- King KT-76A Transponder
- King KN-64 DME
- King KMA-24 Audio panel
- Nose gear and main gear
- Cleveland wheels and brakes
- New style torque links
Need Help?
Talk To Someone Who Knows Airplanes.
Colorado: 970-313-4823
Missouri: 816-690-8800
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Clinton McJenkin
Sales & Marketing Director
BAS Part Sales
BAS Part Sales
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