Ownership guide
Cessna 172 Skyhawk
1,777 registered in the US, built from about 1955 to 1959, 4 seats, most with the Continental O-300. Its Airworthiness Directives, its engines', and what to check before buying one.
The fleet
- Registered in the US
- 1,777
- Built
- 1955 to 1959
- Half built by
- 1957
- Seats
- 4
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Continental O-300
Engines installed
- Continental O-3001,725 aircraft (97%) · 7 ADs, 0 with a repeat action
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
29 current ADs name the 172 airframe, 3 with a repeat action; 2 more were superseded. Its engines carry 7 more. 17 equipment ADs name the model.
The ones that come back
ADs with a repeat action: an inspection or replacement at an interval, for as long as the AD applies. These are the airworthiness costs an owner keeps paying.
- 2011-10-09Requires retaining all of the actions from the previous AD and adding steps to the inspection procedures in the previous ADStandard practices structures · AirplaneSupersedes 87-20-03 R2Repeat actionMay 13, 2011
- 2011-06-02Requires installing a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) backup battery, replacing the supplement pilot's operating handbook and FAA approved airplane flight manual, and replacing the FADEC backup battery...Engine · AirplaneRepeat actionApr 21, 2011
- 97-12-06Requires checking the clearance between both the gascolator and cowling area and the tailpipe and cowling area, and modifying these areas immediately if any evidence of rubbing at either location is found or...Cessna Aircraft Company Model 172R Airplanes · AirplaneRepeat actionJul 9, 1997
What gets reported
12 Service Difficulty Reports since 2016: a mechanic or operator files one when a part fails or is found defective.
Systems reported most
- Fuselage Structure (General)4
- Reciprocating Engine Cylinder Section2
- Fuselage Main, Bulkhead1
- Reciprocating Engine Oil System1
- Fuselage Main, Longeron/Stringer1
- Engine (Reciprocating)1
Parts reported most
- Fuel, none2
- Firewall, buckled1
- Line, broken1
- Cylinder head, separated1
- Bushing, none1
- None, chipped1
The latest reports
2023-05-26 · Engine (Reciprocating) · Piston, failed
Installed new cylinder kit with valves and piston. piston melted at upper ring, scored the cylinder wall, and blew a hole through one side. cylinder lost all compression and overheated. metal debris entered the engine case and attached to the hydraulic lifters. crankshaft lobes show some metal imbedded and pitting in less than 1-hour running time. piston pin will not come out of the piston
2022-03-28 · Fuselage Structure (General) · None, chipped
Slick magneto locked up and clipped a gear tooth and metal shaving. this was during a training flight and occurred just as student was landing as he heard a loud noise emitting from the engine compartment. on tear down. found that the magneto was locked, and one gear tooth was clipped, and metal filing were found in the area.
2022-02-25 · Fuselage Structure (General) · Bushing, none
L/h mlg mount bushing cushion material migrating out of bushing
2021-06-28 · Fuselage Structure (General) · Fuel, none
Pistons stick causing fuel to burn out of only one tank
From the FAA's Service Difficulty Reporting System, refreshed monthly. Counts of what was reported, not failure rates: most of general aviation reports voluntarily, and a busy training fleet reports more than a private one.
Accident record
951 accidents since 2008, 168 fatal (296 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 88 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of control on ground150
- Loss of control in flight105
- Hard landing89
- Loss of engine power (total)68
- Abnormal runway contact67
- Ground collision36
Phase of flight
- Landing345
- Enroute126
- Takeoff113
- Approach93
- Maneuvering68
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-23 | Campo alegre | Other: Unknown or undetermined | None | GAA26WA327 |
| 2026-09-18 | Kisbey | Unknown: Unknown or undetermined | Fatal | GAA26WA325 |
| 2026-09-09 | Midrand, OF | Unknown: Unknown or undetermined | Serious | GAA26WA305 |
| 2026-08-02 | Blackfoot, ID | Unknown: Miscellaneous/other | Fatal | WPR26FA284 |
| 2026-07-31 | Layton, UT | Enroute: Loss of engine power (total) | Serious | WPR26LA285 |
| 2026-07-24 | Lakeland, FL | Landing: Birdstrike | None | ERA26LA299 |
From the NTSB's aviation accident database, refreshed monthly; accidents only, homebuilts left out. Counts, not rates: nobody publishes how many hours each model flies, and a training fleet flies far more than a private one. Look up any case by its number in the NTSB's CAROL.
What it costs to run
Per hour flown
Per year, flown or not
- Fuel
- $0/hr
- Engine reserve
- $0/hr
- A year
- $0
- All in, per hour
- $0/hr
Everything else is yours to fill in: insurance, hangar and overhaul prices vary too much by pilot, airport and shop for a default to mean anything. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Before you buy one
- Run its N-number through the AD check: every AD that names its airframe and engine, as a checklist to take to the logbooks.
- For each repeat-action AD (3 on the airframe), find the last compliance in the logbooks and when the next one is due.
- Compare the engine's time since overhaul with its maker's published overhaul time, and look for the reason behind any long gap in flying.
- Ask the mechanic doing the pre-buy to look hard at the fuselage structure (general) and for none fuels: they are what gets reported most on this model.
- 17 equipment ADs name the 172 (a muffler, a seat belt, a display): find out which of that equipment is installed.
- Check the registration, the airworthiness certificate and the date of the last annual inspection.
- Work out the sales or use tax your state will charge with the aircraft tax calculator.
The rest of the 172 family
Questions
- How many Cessna 172s are registered in the US?
- 1,777, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Cessna 172 built?
- From about 1955 to 1959. Half of those registered today were built by 1957.
- What engine does the Cessna 172 have?
- Most have the Continental O-300 (97% of those registered).
- What are common problems with the Cessna 172?
- In 12 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were fuselage structure (general), reciprocating engine cylinder section, fuselage main, bulkhead, and the part most often reported was a none fuel.
- How many accidents has the Cessna 172 had?
- 951 in the NTSB's database since 2008, 168 of them fatal. The most common defining event was loss of control on ground. These are counts, not rates: how many hours the fleet flew is not published.
- How many Airworthiness Directives does the Cessna 172 have?
- 29 current ADs name the 172 airframe, 3 of them with a repeat action, and 7 more name its engines. Whether each applies to one aircraft depends on its serial number and installed equipment.
Figures from the FAA aircraft registry and the FAA's Airworthiness Directives, rebuilt daily. An AD listed for a model is one to read; whether it applies to one aircraft depends on its serial number, equipment and records.