Ownership guide
Cessna 180 Skywagon
1,167 registered in the US, built from about 1953 to 1965, 4 seats, most with the Continental O-470. Its Airworthiness Directives, its engines', and what to check before buying one.
The fleet
- Registered in the US
- 1,167
- Built
- 1953 to 1965
- Half built by
- 1955
- Seats
- 4
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Continental O-470
Engines installed
- Continental O-4701,109 aircraft (95%) · 20 ADs, 2 with a repeat action
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
22 current ADs name the 180 airframe, 2 with a repeat action; 2 more were superseded. Its engines carry 20 more. 14 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.
- 2020-21-22Requires inspecting the tailcone and horizontal stabilizer for corrosion and cracks and repairing or replacing damaged parts as necessaryFuselage · AirplaneRepeat actionNov 2, 2020
- 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
What gets reported
6 Service Difficulty Reports since 2016: a mechanic or operator files one when a part fails or is found defective.
Systems reported most
- Flight Compartment Equipment1
- Reciprocating Engine Cylinder Section1
- Main Landing Gear Strut/Axle/Truck1
- Fuselage Main, Bulkhead1
- AC Generator-Alternator1
- Fuel Storage1
Parts reported most
- Cable, broken1
- Piston, disintegrated1
- Axle, failed1
- Bulkhead, chafed1
- Connector, damaged1
- Fuel sys, contaminated1
The latest reports
2025-07-29 · Reciprocating Engine Cylinder Section · Piston, disintegrated
Superior piston assy part # sa640518 installed. within 40 hours of installation piston disintegrated resulting in extreme vibration. engine was shutdown and landing made in field without incident.
2024-08-10 · Fuel Storage · Fuel sys, contaminated
Engine started running rough at tod and stopped producing power shortly after. an emergency landing was made on tundra with no damage. fuel sumps and gascolator were found to have what looked like "cotton or filter like material" which we believe was dryer lint. this same substance was found in other aircraft on the field and we believe somebody put dryer lint into the gas tanks. no part of the ai
2020-06-13 · AC Generator-Alternator · Connector, damaged
Loss of electrical power in flight. rewired electrical connections on generator and test ran engine.
2020-02-06 · Flight Compartment Equipment · Cable, broken
During functional check, found cable assembly completely broken. this cable part of cessna sk210-174a. pn 505530-405. investigation on the internet ( yeah, i know...the internet) makes it appear to be a common problem.
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
218 accidents since 2008, 13 fatal (27 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 6 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of control on ground119
- Nose over/nose down10
- Loss of engine power (total)10
- Collision during takeoff/land9
- Collision with terrain or object (non-CFIT)7
- System or component failure (not the engine)6
Phase of flight
- Landing122
- Takeoff37
- Enroute19
- Taxi16
- Approach11
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-19 | White city, OR | Landing: Nose over/nose down | None | WPR26LA351 |
| 2026-09-13 | Pagosa springs, CO | Landing: Loss of control on ground | None | CEN26LA321 |
| 2026-08-16 | Mccall, ID | Landing: Loss of control on ground | None | WPR26LA304 |
| 2026-08-10 | La center, WA | Approach: Collision during takeoff/land | Serious | WPR26LA296 |
| 2026-07-31 | Nenana, AK | Taxi: Loss of control on ground | None | ANC26LA078 |
| 2026-07-09 | Marbleton, WY | Landing: Loss of control on ground | None | WPR26LA253 |
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 (2 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 flight compartment equipment and for broken cables: they are what gets reported most on this model.
- 14 equipment ADs name the 180 (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 180 family
Questions
- How many Cessna 180s are registered in the US?
- 1,167, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Cessna 180 built?
- From about 1953 to 1965. Half of those registered today were built by 1955.
- What engine does the Cessna 180 have?
- Most have the Continental O-470 (95% of those registered).
- What are common problems with the Cessna 180?
- In 6 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were flight compartment equipment, reciprocating engine cylinder section, main landing gear strut/axle/truck, and the part most often reported was a broken cable.
- How many accidents has the Cessna 180 had?
- 218 in the NTSB's database since 2008, 13 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 180 have?
- 22 current ADs name the 180 airframe, 2 of them with a repeat action, and 20 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.