Ownership guide
Cessna 180H
364 registered in the US, built from about 1964 to 1972, 6 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
- 364
- Built
- 1964 to 1972
- Half built by
- 1967
- Seats
- 6
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Continental O-470
Engines installed
- Continental O-470338 aircraft (93%) · 20 ADs, 2 with a repeat action
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
25 current ADs name the 180H airframe, 2 with a repeat action; 2 more were superseded. Its engines carry 20 more. 13 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
1 Service Difficulty Reports since 2016: a mechanic or operator files one when a part fails or is found defective.
Systems reported most
- Reciprocating Engine Power Section1
Parts reported most
- Camshaft, making metal1
The latest reports
2018-03-23 · Reciprocating Engine Power Section · Camshaft, making metal
The engine appears to have faulty set of lifters causing severe damage to the cams. purchased with 20 hrs engine time. cams and lifters were inspected on pre-buy and found to be visually normal with blueing still present. persistent high fe on regular oil analysis was first noted, but cause was undetermined. acft flown 200 hrs a year, high fe is not due to disuse or rust. the mech has determi
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
30 accidents since 2008, 0 fatal, 0 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of control on ground17
- Loss of control in flight3
- System or component failure (not the engine)2
- Runway excursion2
- Collision during takeoff/land1
- Landing area overshoot1
Phase of flight
- Landing25
- Takeoff2
- Approach2
- Taxi1
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-21 | Port angeles, WA | Landing: Loss of control on ground | None | WPR26LA241 |
| 2025-09-13 | Omaha, NE | Landing: Loss of control on ground | None | CEN25LA376 |
| 2025-07-17 | Gulkana, AK | Taxi: System or component failure (not the engine) | None | ANC25LA076 |
| 2024-06-01 | Soldotna, AK | Takeoff: Collision during takeoff/land | None | ANC24LA040 |
| 2023-11-21 | Mccarthy, AK | Landing: Loss of control on ground | None | ANC24LA003 |
| 2023-08-05 | Lolland | Landing: Loss of control on ground | None | GAA23WA232 |
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 reciprocating engine power section and for making metal camshafts: they are what gets reported most on this model.
- 13 equipment ADs name the 180H (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 180Hs are registered in the US?
- 364, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Cessna 180H built?
- From about 1964 to 1972. Half of those registered today were built by 1967.
- What engine does the Cessna 180H have?
- Most have the Continental O-470 (93% of those registered).
- What are common problems with the Cessna 180H?
- In 1 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were reciprocating engine power section, and the part most often reported was a making metal camshaft.
- How many accidents has the Cessna 180H had?
- 30 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 180H have?
- 25 current ADs name the 180H 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.