Ownership guide
Cessna 172I Skyhawk
349 registered in the US, built from about 1968 to 1968, 4 seats, most with the Lycoming O-320. Its Airworthiness Directives, its engines', and what to check before buying one.
The fleet
- Registered in the US
- 349
- Built
- 1968 to 1968
- Half built by
- 1968
- Seats
- 4
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Lycoming O-320
Engines installed
- Lycoming O-320336 aircraft (96%) · 24 ADs, 3 with a repeat action
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
33 current ADs name the 172I airframe, 3 with a repeat action; 2 more were superseded. Its engines carry 24 more. 12 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
1 Service Difficulty Reports since 2016: a mechanic or operator files one when a part fails or is found defective.
Systems reported most
- Engine Oil System Wiring1
Parts reported most
- Wire, burned1
The latest reports
2021-06-14 · Engine Oil System Wiring · Wire, burned
Hot wire for oil pressure and temperature gauge inst p/n otp200k s/n asl01103- burnt about a 2ft section of mfg supplied wire- removed old wire and installed new wire 2ft p/n at19118awg - solder wires together and heat shrunk entire wire
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
14 accidents since 2008, 0 fatal, 0 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of control on ground4
- Ground collision2
- Fuel related2
- Collision during takeoff/land2
- Hard landing1
- Fuel exhaustion1
Phase of flight
- Landing5
- Taxi3
- Approach3
- Enroute2
- Takeoff1
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-03 | Knoxville, TN | Taxi: Ground collision | None | ERA25LA138 |
| 2024-11-17 | Mayer, AZ | Enroute: Fuel related | Minor | WPR25LA040 |
| 2024-11-14 | Los angeles, CA | Enroute: Fuel related | None | WPR25LA037 |
| 2024-06-13 | Ada, OK | Landing: Loss of control on ground | None | CEN24LA222 |
| 2022-08-28 | Olivet, MI | Landing: Hard landing | None | CEN22LA398 |
| 2022-04-20 | Blanding, UT | Landing: Loss of control on ground | Minor | WPR22LA161 |
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
Filled in for a Cessna 172I with the Lycoming O-320: the engine maker's published overhaul time. 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 engine oil system wiring and for burned wires: they are what gets reported most on this model.
- 12 equipment ADs name the 172I (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 172Is are registered in the US?
- 349, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Cessna 172I built?
- From about 1968 to 1968. Half of those registered today were built by 1968.
- What engine does the Cessna 172I have?
- Most have the Lycoming O-320 (96% of those registered).
- What are common problems with the Cessna 172I?
- In 1 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were engine oil system wiring, and the part most often reported was a burned wire.
- How many accidents has the Cessna 172I had?
- 14 in the NTSB's database since 2008, 0 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 172I have?
- 33 current ADs name the 172I airframe, 3 of them with a repeat action, and 24 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.