Commander 690A N674NM at Gnoss Field, California, in May 2022. · Photo: Duncan Kirk via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Rockwell · Turboprop
Commander 690 / 690A
The first pressurized Jetprop Commanders: the 690 arrived in 1971 and the 690A followed in 1973 with more pressurization and altitude.
The 690A is one of the quickest twin turboprops of its era and handles short runways with ease. You trade a low cabin, no factory toilet and little payload with full tanks, and every example carries decades of structural inspections.
Buy it if
You want a 280-knot twin for two to four people on 300 to 700 nm trips, value short-runway ability, and can find one with the wing spar work done and complete engine records.
Skip it if
You need a stand-up cabin or a private toilet, plan regular 900 nm legs with four aboard, or want an aircraft with a simple, quiet maintenance history.
Biggest compromise
Payload with full tanks. A typical equipped 690A carries only about 577 lb of people and bags with its 384 gallons aboard, so filling more than two or three seats means leaving fuel behind.
The numbers that matter
What it costs per year
$595K
at 300 hrs · one professional pilot
How far it flies
1,471 nm
About 650–850 nm with four passengers, depending on equipped weight
How fast
285 kt
high-speed cruise
Seats
6
6 typical; certified for up to 10
Pilots needed
1
Certified for one pilot; no type rating needed because it weighs under 12,500 lb.
Price
What one costs to buy
Typical asking price
$0
Other sites
Priced vs call
with a price / call for price
Two of six advertised 690As show prices: $690,000 and $745,000. All six have the more powerful Dash 10 engine upgrade.
Price vs its family and alternatives
Scroll to explore · select a jet for details
For sale now
None listed right now
Cost to own
What it costs per year to run
300hours / year
Per year
Per flight hour
Estimate — your operator will quote actual numbers.
Fuel, airframe and propeller maintenance, engine overhaul set-aside and trip fees rise as you fly more. One professional pilot, recurrent training, hangar, insurance and databases and tracking stay the same however much you fly.
Where the money goes
- One professional pilot$145,00024%
- Recurrent training$12,0002%
- Hangar$30,0005%
- Insurance$25,0004%
- Databases and tracking$6,7501%
- Fuel$197,37033%
- Airframe and propeller maintenance$95,00116%
- Engine overhaul set-aside$65,10011%
- Trip fees$18,7503%
Fuel is the biggest single cost at 33% of the total.
The JetGrade
67 out of 100 — Below its class average
Peer group: King Air E90, Piper Cheyenne II, MU-2 long body, Merlin III / IIIA
Seven categories at a glance
- - - 70 = typical— This aircraft
Strongest on airport access, weakest on reliability & support.
Grades are editorial opinions about the model, not any specific aircraft. Sponsors and affiliates have no input. Reviewed 2026-10-08.
Where it flies
Sample trips and reach
Typical trips on a map
Nonstop
Depends on weight or weather
Fuel stop likely
1 of 6 sample trips are comfortable nonstops.
Sample flight times
- 1.2 hr
Carlsbad → Las Vegas
205 nm · Short hop, well within range
- 2.8 hr
Carlsbad → Aspen
625 nm · Mountain airport; summer heat and weight limit loads
- 3.3 hr
Santa Ana → San José del Cabo
765 nm · Near four-passenger limit; fewer bags or a stop
- 4.2 hr
Teterboro → West Palm Beach
900 nm · Beyond four-passenger range; plan one stop
- 5.3 hr
Dallas → Teterboro
1,190 nm · One stop, typically in the Southeast or Midwest
- 9.1 hr
Carlsbad → Teterboro
2,100 nm · Two stops across the country
Lineage
What came before and after
1971–1976
Commander 690 / 690A
717 shp engines and a longer center wing; 690A raised pressurization.
What changed from the Turbo Commander 680T / 680V / 680W / 681
- Garrett TPE331-5 engines of 717 shp each, up from 575 shp on the 681.
- Center wing stretched 30 in, moving the engines outboard to lower cabin noise.
- Usable fuel rose from 286.5 to 384 gallons.
- Maximum takeoff weight rose from 9,400 to 10,250 lb.
- The 690A raised pressurization from 4.2 to 5.2 psi and the ceiling to 31,000 ft.
- The 690A added a heated windshield and full approval for flight into icing.
Size and cabin
How big it is, inside and out
Outside
Silhouette · scaled to length
Length
Wingspan
Height
Inside the cabin
Cabin length
Width
Height
Compare
How it stacks up
This aircraft
Commander 690 / 690A
- JetGrade
- 67
- Cost per year
- $595K
- Range
- 1,471 nm
- Speed
- 285 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Cabin length
- 14′ 3″
- Pilots
- 1
- Years built
- 1971–1976
← Before
Turbo Commander 680T / 680V / 680W / 681 (1965–1972)
- JetGrade
- 56
- Cost per year
- $573K
- Range
- 1,081 nm
- Speed
- 242 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Cabin length
- 14′ 2″
- Pilots
- 1
- Years built
- 1965–1972
After →
- JetGrade
- 66
- Price
- $638K
- Cost per year
- $777K
- Range
- 1,467 nm
- Speed
- 284 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Cabin length
- 14′ 3″
- Pilots
- 1
- Years built
- 1976–1979
Alternative
- JetGrade
- 72
- Price
- $770K–$860K guide
- Cost per year
- $586K
- Range
- 1,490 nm
- Speed
- 248 kt
- Seats
- 5
- Cabin length
- 12′ 5″
- Pilots
- 1
- Years built
- 1972–1981
Alternative
- JetGrade
- 68
- Price
- $1.29M
- Cost per year
- $611K
- Range
- 1,780 nm
- Speed
- 290 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Cabin length
- 14′ 3″
- Pilots
- 1
- Years built
- 1979–1985
- Commander 690B instead: Nearly the same airframe with more soundproofing, a toilet and slightly higher weights; advertised 690Bs ask about $410,000 to $825,000.
- King Air E90 instead: A taller cabin with a belted toilet and Beechcraft's large support network, but about 30 kt slower.
- Commander 840 instead: A longer wing with more fuel adds real range with passengers; advertised 840s ask about $995,000 to $1.3 million.
Gold marks the best figure in each row.
Owning one
What to know before you buy
Engines & inspections
2 × Honeywell (Garrett) TPE331-5-251K · 718 shp each
No APUEngine hours until overhaul
- 150-hour inspection · 150 hr
- Vertical fin crack inspection · 500 hr
- Wing attach bracket inspection · 1,000 hr
- Engine hot section inspection · 1,800 hr
- Engine gearbox inspection · 3,600 hr
- Propeller overhaul · 4,000 hr
- Engine overhaul · 5,400 hr
- Landing gear inspection every 60 months
Some owners kept Honeywell's hourly engine plan, but a service center said in 2017 that new enrollments had stopped. Most owners set money aside each hour.
Known issues
Wing spar cap history
Spar corrosion and cracking led to 1990s directives; most aircraft now have a replacement lower spar cap, so confirm it in the records.
Spar support and window channels
A 2013 directive requires inspection and repair of spar supports and window channels; the FAA estimated $58,090 per aircraft.
Proposed tail crack inspection
In November 2025 the FAA proposed prompt tail structure inspections on all 690-series Commanders after fatigue cracks were found.
Pre-buy checklist
0 of 10 checked
Twin Commander Aircraft, now part of Ontic, still holds the type certificate and supplies parts and kits through nine authorized service centers; Garrett TPE331 engines have broad shop support.
Review
The full review
Strengths
- Factory figures show 279 to 285 kt cruise, about 30 kt quicker than a King Air E90.
- Clears a 50 ft obstacle in 2,216 ft and lands over one in 2,084 ft at sea level.
- Strong on one engine for its era: 893 fpm climb and a 19,700 ft single-engine ceiling.
Limitations
- The cabin is 4 ft 6 in tall, and the factory 690A had no toilet; one arrived with the 690B.
- Only about 577 lb of payload with full fuel, so four passengers means less fuel and range.
- Wing spar, attach-structure and tail directives add inspections; one 2013 directive was put at $58,090.
The Commander 690 was the first of the pressurized Jetprop Commanders. North American Rockwell took the 681 Turbo Commander, stretched the wing center section by 30 inches, moved the engines outboard to cut cabin noise and fitted Garrett TPE331 engines of 717 shp each. The FAA certified it in July 1971, and 79 were built. The 690A followed in 1973 with a redesigned fuselage that raised pressurization from 4.2 to 5.2 psi, lifted the maximum altitude from 25,000 to 31,000 ft, and added a heated windshield and full approval for flight into icing. Rockwell built 245 of them through 1976 before the quieter 690B took over.
Pilot's take
The 690A rewards pilots who learn the Garrett engine's habits. These single-shaft engines start hard on weak batteries, so a ground power cart is normal practice, and a negative torque system pulls a failed engine's propeller toward feather to cut drag. Hydraulic gear, flaps, brakes and nosewheel steering, plus beta and reverse, make short runways easy work. The big wing is stable in cruise, and factory figures show 893 fpm of climb on one engine at sea level. Plan to cruise in the low to mid 20s at about 270 kt, and check takeoff numbers carefully on hot days at high airports, where the original engines give up power.
Who this is for
An owner-pilot or small company flying two to four people on regional trips of 300 to 700 nm, often from short runways, who wants speed for well under $1M and will pay for careful structural upkeep.
Ask about this aircraft
Answers come only from our research file on the Commander 690 / 690A.
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