The Ultimate Piper Owner Discussion on Replacing Original Piper Door and Cargo Locks
What follows is published in near entirety from the Piper Owner Society forum because of the depth of its advice. Thank you to our members for taking the time to contribute such thoughtful tips and tricks for their fellow members. The original discussion is at piperowner.org/talk/discussion/155499/keys.
Q
When I bought my 1973 Arrow, the former owner said he only had one key. He had misplaced the other. He has not been able to find any way to get a copy made for a number of years. Does anyone know of a place to get Piper keys made?
—Resq5hvy
A
I’ve had eight plane keys made at my local hardware store. The door locks that Piper uses are not airplane specific and, at least in my experience, they’re the same locks used in some desks. Last year, I replaced my cheap, pickable locks with real airplane locks. Here’s a link: aircraftsecurity.com. Read a complete article on this installation at piperowner.org/aug21.
—Scott Sherer, Piper Owner Society Aviation Director
A
That is good news. I was under the impression that they were special keys. I will likely put real locks on it once I get the un-refurbished radios, seats, carpet, and instruments replaced by glorified iPads and carpet with less dirt.
—Resq5hvy
A
Years ago, I had the exact same experience as Scott. I went to a locksmith to have the original lock rekeyed. He confirmed what Scott said, that the factory Piper lock is an office drawer lock. Then he proved it by pulling out a brand new one. They were identical. I replaced both my cabin door and cargo hatch locks with units from Medeco. They are stronger and more secure. At aircraftsecurity.com, the Medeco lockset price for pre/post 1976 PA-28s is $219.90. [Ed. Note: price as of September 2022]. This includes both cabin and cargo door locks with matching keys.
—Jim “Griff” Griffin
A
Looks like they exclude the nose baggage lock. I wonder if there was an incident? The Piper lock prevents you from releasing the key if it is unlocked.
—Eric Panning
A
Eric, that’s for the PA-32. Resq5hvy has a PA-28 Arrow, so I think he’ll be in the clear. A lock that prevents you from removing the key unless it’s locked seems like a great safety feature for the forward baggage door. I don’t know if there were any incidents, but I suspect it’s a liability issue? Are the PA-32 forward baggage door locks still available from Piper?
—Jim “Griff” Griffin
A
Jim, yes, I agree it’s OK for the PA-28. Could be just the perceived liability vs. an actual incident. Most nose baggage doors have multiple latches, but for the Piper 32/34 series, it is a single point of failure. If it was closed but not locked, it would inevitably pop open (at the first possible time).
A general note: Passengers are always looking for something to help with. Loading baggage and closing doors should not be one of them. I would say few pilots weigh pieces of luggage, but you should lift all pieces and make an assessment as well as personally close all doors and hatches. It is like delegating putting the boat hull plug in before launching. If you are motoring away and ask them if they did it, they will say, “Yes,” and if you ask, “Are you sure?,” they will say, “I think so….”
—Eric Panning
A
My Seneca baggage door popped open on the takeoff roll after liftoff. I went around at 500 feet and landed with the baggage door fully open. The baggage door and nose fiberglass areas were damaged around the hinge. I had it repaired, and I’ve been paranoid during my preflight ever since. A passenger distracted me while doing preflight, and I left the keys in the nose baggage compartment and the door unlocked. Lessons learned. I never let anyone distract me anymore during a preflight, runup, or takeoff. In case you’re wondering, after landing the keys were still hanging out of the baggage door.
—Scott Sherer, Piper Owner Society Aviation Director
A
Eric and Scott absolutely nailed it. No matter what anyone says, or how good their intentions, due diligence is ultimately our responsibility. Distractions can lead to damage or fatalities. None of us are immune, me included. I’ve been fortunate to stay out of the fatality column (else this post would be blank). A few years back, I was waiting to take off and witnessed a baggage door whip open and the interior panel get ripped off a PA-28 with two instructors aboard during their takeoff roll. It damaged the airplane skin, the baggage door, and, of course, the interior panel (which was now runway FOD). I don’t know what their distraction was during the preflight, but it was an expensive mistake.
I keep my ignition key on the same keyring as the baggage door key. It forces me to lock and remove the key from the baggage door before I can start the engine. Of course, that procedure does no good if your plane doesn’t require a key to start.
I also keep a bathroom scale in my hangar. I weigh and record everything that goes into the plane before a flight. Makes it easy to move baggage or passengers as needed to stay within the weight and balance envelope and has been very valuable during ramp checks.
—Jim “Griff” Griffin
A
I think I will likely upgrade soon. Is it your policy to fly with the baggage door locked (in a PA-28)?
—Resq5hvy
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My checklist states that the baggage door is to be locked before flight.
—Jim “Griff” Griffin
A
The PA-31 has a placard that deals with this and a warning light in the overhead panel. But the failsafe is you lock it yourself or check that it is locked every time. That way, no passenger can open it and not have it properly closed. An Aztec guy might correct me here, but when I rated on that many years ago, I recall that if the nose door opens on takeoff, you are going down.
—johnsouthworth
A
Yes, and I think Medeco wanted to avoid all this by not providing a lockset for the nose baggage (for the Pipers that have nose baggage).
—Eric Panning
A
I’ve owned a variety of Pipers. As far as I know, and two different mechanics have said the same thing, there are only four different Piper door/luggage keys. My experience verifies this! I left keys at home one day. I used my wife’s metal fingernail file to open the luggage lock to retrieve a headset.
I’m hoping Santa leaves new Medeco locks under my tree, or in my mantel stocking! They’re great, but pricey. As I typed this, the thought of the price of the lockset vs. the price of four headsets in each of my Pipers … you get the drift.
—JustJess
A
If you have the Medeco locks, you will have to contact the Medeco dealer that sold the locks and provide a key code. A local locksmith can’t help. When I had my Medeco locks installed, I recorded the key code and invoice number in my logbook so I could get additional keys if I needed them.
—kentshaw
A
I would go ahead and replace the locks with the kit from the Aircraft Security website. I just did the baggage door on my 235 and after some adjustment, now it works one handed. The OEM lock, probably original, was stiff and the tumbler allowed it to be turned around as it was worn. Scott has a very good writeup that I followed from the August 2021 magazine issue. I have not done the entry door yet, as I have not had the time to figure out how to remove the VW-style door-opener handle so I can remove the door trim to get at the lock. I found the new locks to be very solid and well made.
—Joe8120
A
Joe8120, in a previous life, I used to be a Porsche/VW mechanic, so I hope this helps you out. In many aircraft, Piper used (circa) mid- to late-1960s VW interior door latches. Pull the chrome door lever out, and look for a small slot in the “cupped” portion of the black plastic bezel behind the lever. Put a small flat head screwdriver in the slot, and pop the bezel out. Once out, you should have access to the mounting screws of the handle.
A
Griff, thanks for the tip! When I replace the door panel (and side panels), I will now know how to access the latch mechanism. I had heard that the latch was VW and checked with a friend who has a ’69 VW and, sure enough … there was my Arrow door latch!
—arrow76r
A
All the aircraft manufacturers used some automotive parts back then, not just Piper. Armrests, alternators, fan belts, voltage regulators, door handles, cigarette lighters, ashtrays, wheel bearings, latches, etc. were automotive parts from various makes and models. Why reinvent the wheel when you can buy it off the shelf?
—Jim “Griff” Griffin
A
My door key cross-referenced to a 1960s padlock. The ignition switch came back as a multiuse lock key with crossovers to Cessna aircraft. My Arrow is having an identity crisis. I have extra keys now. I think at some point a new ignition switch was installed. The door key is much older, so the locksmith says.
—Resq5hvy
