Compare
Cessna 172M Skyhawk vs Cessna 172N Skyhawk
The two side by side, from the FAA registry, the FAA's Airworthiness Directives and Service Difficulty Reports, and the NTSB's accident database. Each has a full guide: Cessna 172M Skyhawk, Cessna 172N Skyhawk.
Where they differ
- The Cessna 172N carries more airframe ADs with a repeat action, 4 against 3: inspections that come back for as long as the AD applies.
- Mechanics report the Cessna 172M's magneto/distributor most, and the Cessna 172N's reciprocating engine cylinder section.
Side by side
| Cessna 172M Skyhawk | Cessna 172N Skyhawk | |
|---|---|---|
| Registered in the US | 3,533 | 3,098 |
| Built | 1972 to 1976 | 1976 to 1980 |
| Half built by | 1974 | 1978 |
| Seats | 4 | 4 |
| Most common engine | Lycoming O-320 | Lycoming O-320 |
| Typical cruise fuel burn | 8 gal/hr | 8 gal/hr |
| Engine overhaul intervalThe engine maker's published hours between overhauls. | 2,000 hr | 2,000 hr |
| Current airframe ADs | 34 | 38 |
| Airframe ADs with a repeat action | 3 | 4 |
| Current ADs on the main engine | 24 | 24 |
| Service Difficulty ReportsSince the year shown in each guide; per 1,000 registered today. | 59 (16.7 per 1,000) | 64 (20.7 per 1,000) |
| Most-reported system | Magneto/Distributor | Reciprocating Engine Cylinder Section |
| Accidents since 2008Per 1,000 registered today, not per hour flown: a training fleet flies far more than a private one. | 179 (50.7 per 1,000) | 227 (73.3 per 1,000) |
| Fatal accidents since 2008 | 26 | 40 |
| Most common accident | Loss of control on ground | Loss of control on ground |
Report and accident counts are not rates: nobody publishes the hours each model flies, and a training fleet flies far more than a private one. Fuel burn is a typical cruise figure; the engine interval is its maker's published figure for the usual engine.
The Cessna 172M's repeat-action ADs
- 2011-10-09Requires retaining all of the actions from the previous AD and adding steps to the inspection procedures in the previous AD
- 2011-06-02Requires installing a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) backup battery, replacing the supplement pilot's operating handbook and FAA approved airplane flight manual, and replacing the FADEC backup battery...
- 97-12-06Requires checking the clearance between both the gascolator and cowling area and the tailpipe and cowling area, and modifying these areas immediately if any evidence of rubbing at either location is found or...
The Cessna 172N's repeat-action ADs
- 2011-10-09Requires retaining all of the actions from the previous AD and adding steps to the inspection procedures in the previous AD
- 2011-06-02Requires installing a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) backup battery, replacing the supplement pilot's operating handbook and FAA approved airplane flight manual, and replacing the FADEC backup battery...
- 2001-23-03Extend the inspections and installation of the switch cover requirement to certain 172N, 172P, R172K, 172RG, F172N, F172P, FR172J, and FR172K series airplanes
- 97-12-06Requires checking the clearance between both the gascolator and cowling area and the tailpipe and cowling area, and modifying these areas immediately if any evidence of rubbing at either location is found or...
Questions
- Which has more Airworthiness Directives, the Cessna 172M or the Cessna 172N?
- 34 current ADs name the Cessna 172M airframe and 38 the Cessna 172N; 3 and 4 of them have a repeat action.
- Which is newer, the Cessna 172M or the Cessna 172N?
- Half of the Cessna 172Ms registered were built by 1974, half of the Cessna 172Ns by 1978.
- How do the Cessna 172M and Cessna 172N accident records compare?
- 179 accidents since 2008 for the Cessna 172M (26 fatal) against 227 for the Cessna 172N (40 fatal), from fleets of 3,533 and 3,098. Counts, not rates per hour flown.