Ownership guide
Cessna 182T Skylane
1,292 registered in the US, built from about 2001 to 2026, 4 seats, most with the Lycoming IO-540. Its Airworthiness Directives, its engines', and what to check before buying one.
The fleet
- Registered in the US
- 1,292
- Built
- 2001 to 2026
- Half built by
- 2007
- Seats
- 4
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Lycoming IO-540
Engines installed
- Lycoming IO-5401,209 aircraft (94%) · 33 ADs, 4 with a repeat action
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
34 current ADs name the 182T airframe, 3 with a repeat action; 4 more were superseded. Its engines carry 33 more. 5 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
- 2013-11-11Requires replacement when the engine oil pressure switch reaches its life limitEngine oil pressure · AirplaneSupersedes 2000-04-01Repeat actionJun 27, 2013
- 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
62 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 Section23
- Magneto/Distributor10
- Nose/Tail Landing Gear9
- Fuselage Main, Bulkhead3
- Global Positioning System1
- Elevator Structure1
Parts reported most
- Pushrod, scored18
- Fitting, cracked9
- Magneto, unserviceable6
- Doubler, cracked3
- Points, broken2
- Impulse coupling, unserviceable2
The latest reports
2026-04-28 · Exterior Lighting · Light, broken
Pulse light was first replaced 9-30-2025 due to lt wig wag not working, solid on worked. after a month of operation lt wig wag failed again, didnt get to troubleshoot again until 4-20-2026 and noted that at that time even solid on did not work, suspected faulty wiring removed lt wing tip and found that the wiring going through one of the nose ribs had burned a hole in the rib going down towards t
2026-03-30 · Aileron Control System · Cable, frayed
While troubleshooting a fuel leak the mechanic noticed that the aileron carry through cable was frayed.
2026-02-10 · Fuselage Main, Bulkhead · Doubler, cracked
During firewall cleaning/inspection during annual/100hr inspection, a crack, approximately 1.0" in length was discovered in the upper radius of the left hand side of the lower firewall doubler directly through the top rivet that holds the parking brake bracket (pn 0713070-20) to the firewall on the cabin side. there were some small dimples in the firewall itself above this area. it would appear th
2026-02-02 · Fuselage Main, Bulkhead · Doubler, cracked
During firewall cleaning/inspection during annual/100hr inspection, a crack, approximately 2.3 in length was discovered in the upper radius of the left hand side of the lower firewall doubler directly through the top rivet that holds the parking brake bracket (pn 0713070-20) to the firewall on the cabin side. there were some small dimples in the firewall itself above this area. it would appear tha
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
38 accidents since 2008, 9 fatal (16 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 5 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of control in flight7
- Loss of control on ground5
- Hard landing4
- Ground collision3
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT)3
- Runway excursion3
Phase of flight
- Landing15
- Enroute6
- Maneuvering4
- Takeoff4
- Approach3
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-13 | Fredericksburg, VA | Taxi: Ground collision | None | ERA26LA278 |
| 2026-05-07 | Armistead, CA | Unknown: Unknown or undetermined | Fatal | ANC26FA039 |
| 2026-01-22 | Newberry, MI | Enroute: Loss of control in flight | None | CEN26LA213 |
| 2025-10-25 | Nuuk | Approach: Unknown or undetermined | Fatal | GAA26WA014 |
| 2025-09-09 | Seymour, IN | Landing: Abnormal runway contact | None | CEN25LA372 |
| 2024-12-11 | Pearland, TX | Landing: Runway incursion veh/AC/person | None | CEN25LA059A |
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 182T with the Lycoming IO-540: 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 (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 reciprocating engine cylinder section and for scored pushrods: they are what gets reported most on this model.
- 5 equipment ADs name the 182T (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 182Ts are registered in the US?
- 1,292, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Cessna 182T built?
- From about 2001 to 2026. Half of those registered today were built by 2007.
- What engine does the Cessna 182T have?
- Most have the Lycoming IO-540 (94% of those registered).
- What are common problems with the Cessna 182T?
- In 62 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were reciprocating engine cylinder section, magneto/distributor, nose/tail landing gear, and the part most often reported was a scored pushrod.
- How many accidents has the Cessna 182T had?
- 38 in the NTSB's database since 2008, 9 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 182T have?
- 34 current ADs name the 182T airframe, 3 of them with a repeat action, and 33 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.