Ownership guide
Cessna 182Q Skylane
1,550 registered in the US, built from about 1976 to 1980, 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
- 1,550
- Built
- 1976 to 1980
- Half built by
- 1978
- Seats
- 4
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Continental O-470
Engines installed
- Continental O-4701,429 aircraft (92%) · 20 ADs, 2 with a repeat action
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
35 current ADs name the 182Q airframe, 4 with a repeat action; 2 more were superseded. Its engines carry 20 more. 10 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.
- 2025-23-08Requires repetitive visual inspections of the intercooler inlet and outlet hoses for cracks and, at a certain compliance time or if any cracks are found, replacement of the intercooler inlet and outlet hosesHoses and tubes · AirplaneRepeat actionNov 17, 2025
- 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
- 2009-04-05Remove the intercooler and the intercooler inlet and outlet hoses, install a reworked intercooler and new intercooler inlet and outlet hoses, inspect hoses and clamp torques, repetitively inspect installation of the...Cessna Aircraft Company Models 182Q and 182R Airplanes · AirplaneRepeat actionFeb 20, 2009
What gets reported
8 Service Difficulty Reports since 2016: a mechanic or operator files one when a part fails or is found defective.
Systems reported most
- Reciprocating Engine Cylinder Section2
- Instrument Panel1
- Engine Mount Section1
- Aileron Control System1
- Electrical Power System Wiring1
- Engine Starter1
Parts reported most
- Cylinder, leaking1
- Resistor, burned1
- Mount, corroded1
- Turnbuckle, corroded1
- Cylinder head, low pressure1
- Circuit breaker, burned1
The latest reports
2026-03-05 · Engine Mount Section · Mount, corroded
The dissimilar metal tape supplied in stc sa00496se (u-line electrical tape) is causing corrosion on the engine mount to the point of replacing the engine mount with in 500-100hrs after installing the stc. this has happened on three of our fleet aircraft in the last 2 weeks. i believe the adhesive on the tape is causing the powder coat and corrosion on the the chromoly engine mount. the corrosion
2025-05-10 · Electrical Power System Wiring · Circuit breaker, burned
Lost avionics, transponder, and radio stack. smelled burning wires and declared emergency. landed without further incident. found source to be a bad 40 amp breaker switch which runs the avionics and radio stack.
2023-11-01 · Reciprocating Engine Cylinder Section · Cylinder head, low pressure
Cylinders 2,4, and 6 have low compression (30's) these continue to lower with each annual inspection
2021-03-04 · Engine Starter · Master relay, faulty
Engaging starter caused all electric power to be lost. cycling master switch restored power, subsequent starter engagement resulted in lower than normal cranking speed. found excessive voltage drop across master contactor. replaced with lamar pma sts-m24. removed contactor dissected, copper contacts in poor condition. replacement advertises silver contacts.
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
56 accidents since 2008, 10 fatal (14 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 5 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Hard landing9
- Loss of control on ground7
- Loss of control in flight6
- Loss of engine power (total)5
- Collision during takeoff/land2
- Propeller or rotor struck a person2
Phase of flight
- Landing19
- Enroute9
- Takeoff9
- Approach7
- Maneuvering4
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-19 | Beaver, AK | Landing: Landing gear collapse | None | ANC26LA058 |
| 2026-04-12 | Lutz, FL | Landing: Hard landing | None | ERA26LA203 |
| 2025-10-29 | Mapleton, IA | Enroute: Powerplant sys/comp failure | None | ANC26LA020 |
| 2025-07-31 | Cashmere, WA | Landing: Collision during takeoff/land | Serious | WPR25LA234 |
| 2025-06-26 | Nahunta, GA | Standing: Fire/smoke (non-impact) | None | ERA25LA242 |
| 2024-10-26 | Rose hill, KS | Standing: Propeller or rotor struck a person | Fatal | CEN25LA028 |
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 182Q with the Continental O-470: a typical cruise fuel burn. 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 (4 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 cylinder section and for leaking cylinders: they are what gets reported most on this model.
- 10 equipment ADs name the 182Q (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 182Qs are registered in the US?
- 1,550, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Cessna 182Q built?
- From about 1976 to 1980. Half of those registered today were built by 1978.
- What engine does the Cessna 182Q have?
- Most have the Continental O-470 (92% of those registered).
- What are common problems with the Cessna 182Q?
- In 8 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were reciprocating engine cylinder section, instrument panel, engine mount section, and the part most often reported was a leaking cylinder.
- How many accidents has the Cessna 182Q had?
- 56 in the NTSB's database since 2008, 10 of them fatal. The most common defining event was hard landing. These are counts, not rates: how many hours the fleet flew is not published.
- How many Airworthiness Directives does the Cessna 182Q have?
- 35 current ADs name the 182Q airframe, 4 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.