Ownership guide
Cessna 182F Skylane
292 registered in the US, built from about 1962 to 1963, 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
- 292
- Built
- 1962 to 1963
- Half built by
- 1963
- Seats
- 4
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Continental O-470
Engines installed
- Continental O-470288 aircraft (99%) · 20 ADs, 2 with a repeat action
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
30 current ADs name the 182F airframe, 2 with a repeat action; 2 more were superseded. Its engines carry 20 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.
- 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
2 Service Difficulty Reports since 2016: a mechanic or operator files one when a part fails or is found defective.
Systems reported most
- Nose/Tail Landing Gear1
- Fuel Selector/Shut-Off Valve1
Parts reported most
- Torque link, broken1
- Selector valve, bypassing1
The latest reports
2025-06-29 · Nose/Tail Landing Gear · Torque link, broken
Nose gear upper torque link broke causing gear to collapse upon touchdown.
2021-12-21 · Fuel Selector/Shut-Off Valve · Selector valve, bypassing
The fuel selector valve would not stop the flow of fuel in any of the four detents (off-left-both-right) at the firewall fuel gascolator during an annual inspection. the airplane had sat idle for approximately 8 years with the fuel tanks full. as i was about to disassemble the fuel gascolator to inspect the fuel strainer i had positioned the fuel selector to off. i then attempted to drain the g
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
18 accidents since 2009, 2 fatal (4 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 1 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of control on ground3
- Landing gear collapse2
- Powerplant sys/comp failure2
- Loss of engine power (partial)2
- Loss of engine power (total)1
- Fuel starvation1
Phase of flight
- Landing8
- Enroute2
- Maneuvering2
- Taxi2
- Approach1
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-22 | Williamsburg, VA | Enroute: Loss of engine power (total) | Minor | ERA25LA362 |
| 2025-06-29 | Nephi, UT | Landing: Landing gear collapse | None | WPR25LA193 |
| 2025-02-02 | Anchorage, AK | Approach: Fuel starvation | None | ANC25LA017 |
| 2024-06-26 | Cordova, AK | Landing: Hard landing | None | ANC24LA058 |
| 2024-03-30 | Ben wheeler, TX | Landing: Loss of control in flight | None | CEN24LA142 |
| 2023-06-21 | Idaho falls, ID | Landing: Loss of control on ground | None | WPR23LA237 |
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 nose/tail landing gear and for broken torque links: they are what gets reported most on this model.
- 11 equipment ADs name the 182F (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 182 family
Questions
- How many Cessna 182Fs are registered in the US?
- 292, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Cessna 182F built?
- From about 1962 to 1963. Half of those registered today were built by 1963.
- What engine does the Cessna 182F have?
- Most have the Continental O-470 (99% of those registered).
- What are common problems with the Cessna 182F?
- In 2 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were nose/tail landing gear, fuel selector/shut-off valve, and the part most often reported was a broken torque link.
- How many accidents has the Cessna 182F had?
- 18 in the NTSB's database since 2009, 2 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 182F have?
- 30 current ADs name the 182F 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.