AerScheduler

Ownership guide

Cessna 525B

589 registered in the US, built from about 2004 to 2026, 8 seats, most with the Williams FJ44. Its Airworthiness Directives, its engines', and what to check before buying one.

The fleet

Registered in the US
589
Built
2004 to 2026
Half built by
2011
Seats
8
Engine type
Turbofan
Most common engine
Williams FJ44

Engines installed

From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.

Airworthiness Directives

11 current ADs name the 525B airframe, 3 with a repeat action; 2 more were superseded. Its engines carry 3 more. 3 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.

Every AD for the Cessna 525B

What gets reported

254 Service Difficulty Reports since 2016: a mechanic or operator files one when a part fails or is found defective.

Systems reported most

  1. Smoke Detection23
  2. Landing Gear Position and Warning15
  3. Passenger/Crew Doors15
  4. Cabin Pressure Control System15
  5. Turbine Engine Compressor Section14
  6. Fuel Controlling System11

Parts reported most

  1. Smoke detector, false activation11
  2. Compressor, damaged10
  3. Warning light, illuminated6
  4. Wire harness, chafed5
  5. Warning message, illuminated4
  6. Tire, failed4

The latest reports

  • 2026-09-23 · Smoke Detection · Smoke warning, false activation

    On approach into abi, the baggage smoke message illuminated. the crew declared an emergency with tower and fire equipment was dispatched. aircraft landed uneventfully. after landing the flight crew inspected the fwd and aft baggage bays and found no evidence of smoke or fire. no smell of anything burned. maintenance performed an inspection of the system and functional check. no faults were not

  • 2026-09-17 · Landing Gear Position and Warning · Bulb, inoperative

    While on approach into buf, we extended the landing gear just outside of the faf. the left main landing gear green light did not illuminate. we executed a missed approach, cycled the gear, and it produced both main landing gear lights out and not indicating down and locked. we ran the landing gear will not extend checklist, including cycling the gear, and did not receive a gear down indication. we

  • 2026-09-14 · Aerodynamic Fairings · Radome, abnormal

    While taking delivery of a new aircraft, noticed the radome to fuselage contour has a mismatch. the radome is bigger than the fuselage. at the same time textron was delivering s/n 525b-0917 and it had a larger mismatch. was told by textron representatives that they were aware of the problem but it passed textron quality control inspection & aircraft was ready to be delivered. asked for proof tha

  • 2026-08-20 · Smoke Detection · Smoke detector, false activation

    Bagagge smoke detector warning on final. declared emergency landing. initial inspection upon landing showed no evidence of smoke or fire. maintenance facility was contracted to examine the smoke detector and bagagge area. no evidence of smoke, fire or leaks were found. smoke dector functional test was performed with no faults found. aircraft was approved for return to service.

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

5 accidents since 2008, 0 fatal, 1 aircraft destroyed.

What happened

  1. Landing area overshoot2
  2. Part(s) separation from AC1
  3. Landing gear not configured1
  4. System or component failure (not the engine)1

Phase of flight

  1. Landing3
  2. Enroute1
  3. Taxi1

The latest

DateWhereWhat happenedInjuriesNTSB number
2023-03-30Gulf of mexico, GMEnroute: Part(s) separation from ACNoneERA23FA174
2022-09-20Pasco, WALanding: Landing gear not configuredNoneWPR22LA353
2022-04-17Caldwell, NJLanding: Landing area overshootNoneERA22LA190
2012-11-11Sao pauloLanding: Landing area overshootSeriousERA13WA063
2008-03-08Stuart, FLTaxi: System or component failure (not the engine)NoneMIA08CA074

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

  1. Run its N-number through the AD check: every AD that names its airframe and engine, as a checklist to take to the logbooks.
  2. For each repeat-action AD (3 on the airframe), find the last compliance in the logbooks and when the next one is due.
  3. 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.
  4. Ask the mechanic doing the pre-buy to look hard at the smoke detection and for false activation smoke detectors: they are what gets reported most on this model.
  5. 3 equipment ADs name the 525B (a muffler, a seat belt, a display): find out which of that equipment is installed.
  6. Check the registration, the airworthiness certificate and the date of the last annual inspection.
  7. Work out the sales or use tax your state will charge with the aircraft tax calculator.

The rest of the 525 family

Cessna 525 · 659Cessna 525C · 411Cessna 525A · 279

Questions

How many Cessna 525Bs are registered in the US?
589, in the FAA aircraft registry.
When was the Cessna 525B built?
From about 2004 to 2026. Half of those registered today were built by 2011.
What engine does the Cessna 525B have?
Most have the Williams FJ44 (97% of those registered).
What are common problems with the Cessna 525B?
In 254 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were smoke detection, landing gear position and warning, passenger/crew doors, and the part most often reported was a false activation smoke detector.
How many accidents has the Cessna 525B had?
5 in the NTSB's database since 2008, 0 of them fatal. The most common defining event was landing area overshoot. These are counts, not rates: how many hours the fleet flew is not published.
How many Airworthiness Directives does the Cessna 525B have?
11 current ADs name the 525B airframe, 3 of them with a repeat action, and 3 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.