Ownership guide
Cessna 172K Skyhawk
1,012 registered in the US, built from about 1968 to 1970, 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
- 1,012
- Built
- 1968 to 1970
- Half built by
- 1969
- Seats
- 4
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Lycoming O-320
Engines installed
- Lycoming O-320984 aircraft (97%) · 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33 current ADs name the 172K airframe, 3 with a repeat action; 2 more were superseded. Its engines carry 24 more. 11 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
2 Service Difficulty Reports since 2016: a mechanic or operator files one when a part fails or is found defective.
Systems reported most
- Propeller Assembly1
- Flight Compartment Equipment1
Parts reported most
- Bulkhead, cracked1
- Attach bolt, sheared1
The latest reports
2026-02-26 · Propeller Assembly · Bulkhead, cracked
Found forward propeller bulkhead p/n 0550321-4 cracked at one bolt hole location.
2019-03-09 · Flight Compartment Equipment · Attach bolt, sheared
A/c was involved in an accident at vay. upon landing, the pilot's seat back disconnected at the left hand side of the seat back assembly attach point attaching bolt sheared. upon inspection of the aircraft, the bolt head had sheared off from the seat back assembly
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
48 accidents since 2008, 7 fatal (12 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 4 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of control in flight9
- Loss of control on ground8
- Loss of engine power (total)6
- Hard landing4
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT)3
- Loss of engine power (partial)3
Phase of flight
- Landing18
- Enroute9
- Approach6
- Maneuvering5
- Initial climb4
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-16 | Amery, WI | Approach: Loss of engine power (total) | None | CEN26LA094 |
| 2025-09-20 | Salisbury, CT | Landing: Collision with terrain or object (non-CFIT) | Minor | ERA25LA361 |
| 2025-01-23 | Columbia, CA | Approach: Unknown or undetermined | Serious | WPR25LA082 |
| 2024-12-19 | Southport, NC | Enroute: Loss of control in flight | None | ERA25LA087 |
| 2024-09-20 | Spartanburg, SC | Initial climb: Loss of engine power (total) | Minor | ERA24LA388 |
| 2024-09-19 | Fredericksburg, VA | Enroute: Fuel exhaustion | Minor | ERA24LA390 |
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 172K 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 propeller assembly and for cracked bulkheads: they are what gets reported most on this model.
- 11 equipment ADs name the 172K (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 172Ks are registered in the US?
- 1,012, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Cessna 172K built?
- From about 1968 to 1970. Half of those registered today were built by 1969.
- What engine does the Cessna 172K have?
- Most have the Lycoming O-320 (97% of those registered).
- What are common problems with the Cessna 172K?
- In 2 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were propeller assembly, flight compartment equipment, and the part most often reported was a cracked bulkhead.
- How many accidents has the Cessna 172K had?
- 48 in the NTSB's database since 2008, 7 of them fatal. The most common defining event was loss of control in flight. These are counts, not rates: how many hours the fleet flew is not published.
- How many Airworthiness Directives does the Cessna 172K have?
- 33 current ADs name the 172K 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.