Ownership guide
Cessna A185E
248 registered in the US, built from about 1966 to 1972, 6 seats, most with the Continental IO-520. Its Airworthiness Directives, its engines', and what to check before buying one.
The fleet
- Registered in the US
- 248
- Built
- 1966 to 1972
- Half built by
- 1969
- Seats
- 6
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Continental IO-520
Engines installed
- Continental IO-520221 aircraft (89%) · 28 ADs, 4 with a repeat action
- Continental IO-5509 aircraft (4%) · 23 ADs, 4 with a repeat action
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
16 current ADs name the A185E airframe, 2 with a repeat action; 2 more were superseded. Its engines carry 51 more. 9 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
- Flight Compartment Equipment1
- Rudder Control System1
Parts reported most
- Adjuster, cracked1
- Rudder pedal, cracked1
The latest reports
2019-06-25 · Flight Compartment Equipment · Adjuster, cracked
(can) during a scheduled inspection, the pilot seat back cam was noticed to be loose. further investigation revealed the cam-seat back adjust arm was broken, maintenance personnel replaced the cam with a serviceable cam to rectify the defect. all work performed iaw the applicable maintenance publications. (tc# 20190730024)
2019-06-25 · Rudder Control System · Rudder pedal, cracked
(can) while performing a scheduled inspection, a crack was noticed on the rudder torque tube attachment arm, the arm which connects the rudder cable to the rudder tq tube. the attachment arm was cracked where it is welded to the rudder torque tube, the rudder tq tube assembly was removed, weld repaired, inspected post weld and reinstalled. all controls reconnected and safetied. all work was perfor
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
17 accidents since 2009, 2 fatal (2 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 0 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of control on ground6
- Loss of engine power (total)2
- Nose over/nose down2
- Ground collision1
- Fuel contamination1
- Aerodynamic stall/spin1
Phase of flight
- Takeoff5
- Landing5
- Enroute2
- Emergency descent1
- Standing1
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-08-02 | Warren, ID | Takeoff: Ground collision | None | WPR25LA238 |
| 2024-10-12 | Seattle, WA | Landing: Loss of control on ground | None | WPR25LA014 |
| 2024-08-14 | Eveleth, MN | Takeoff: Fuel contamination | None | CEN24LA316 |
| 2024-06-13 | Nampa, ID | Takeoff: Loss of control on ground | None | WPR24LA199 |
| 2022-10-22 | York, PA | Enroute: Loss of engine power (total) | None | ERA23LA034 |
| 2022-05-27 | Willow, AK | Landing: Nose over/nose down | None | ANC22LA037 |
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 flight compartment equipment and for cracked adjusters: they are what gets reported most on this model.
- 9 equipment ADs name the A185E (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 A185 family
Questions
- How many Cessna A185Es are registered in the US?
- 248, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Cessna A185E built?
- From about 1966 to 1972. Half of those registered today were built by 1969.
- What engine does the Cessna A185E have?
- Most have the Continental IO-520 (89% of those registered); others have the Continental IO-550.
- What are common problems with the Cessna A185E?
- In 2 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were flight compartment equipment, rudder control system, and the part most often reported was a cracked adjuster.
- How many accidents has the Cessna A185E had?
- 17 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 A185E have?
- 16 current ADs name the A185E airframe, 2 of them with a repeat action, and 51 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.