Continental IO-520-A
8 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Continental IO-520-A engine, rated at about 285 horsepower. The Cessna 210 Centurion is the model most often fitted with it (2 aircraft). The aircraft carrying it were built between 1965 and 1972.
The FAA records engines by code, usually at the level of a series ("O-320 series") rather than the exact variant; this page gathers every FAA code that reads as Continental IO-520-A. FAA spelling: IO-520-A.
Fuel: 100LL avgas.
Fitted to model families
Model families, as a table
| aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Cessna 210 Centurion | 2 |
| Cessna U206 Stationair | 2 |
| Aero Commander 200 | 1 |
| Bellanca 17 Viking | 1 |
| Cessna 206 Stationair | 1 |
| Cessna P206 Super Skylane | 1 |
Cessna 210 Centurion · Cessna U206 Stationair · Aero Commander 200 · Bellanca 17 Viking · Cessna 206 Stationair · Cessna P206 Super Skylane
Where they are owner's state
By state, as a table
| aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Wyoming | 1 |
| Washington | 1 |
| Nevada | 1 |
| New Mexico | 1 |
| Georgia | 1 |
| California | 1 |
| Alaska | 1 |
What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Continental IO-520-A the component layer
The design is held under 1 type certificate (E5CE, held by Continental Aerospace Technologies, INC.). The FAA has issued 32 airworthiness directives (orders that owners must comply with) that name this engine series. Operators and repair shops have filed 73 failure reports with the FAA since 1995, 10 of them in the last ten years.
FAA orders 32 airworthiness directives · newest first
Failure reports 73 since · what operators and shops told the FAA
Failure reports by year, as a table
| reports | |
|---|---|
| 95 | 6 |
| 96 | 11 |
| 97 | 7 |
| 98 | 5 |
| 99 | 8 |
| 00 | 9 |
| 01 | 3 |
| 02 | 2 |
| 03 | 3 |
| 04 | 4 |
| 05 | 3 |
| 06 | 1 |
| 09 | 1 |
| 10 | 2 |
| 11 | 2 |
| 13 | 4 |
| 14 | 1 |
| 19 | 1 |
Parts most often reported as the reports name them
Parts most reported, as a table
| reports | |
|---|---|
| Cylinder | 11 |
| Bulkhead | 4 |
| Angle | 3 |
| Cylinder Head | 3 |
| Hub | 3 |
| Pump | 3 |
| Skin | 3 |
| Bearing | 2 |
| Crankshaft | 2 |
| Hose | 2 |
Latest reports
Approved replacement parts 708 parts manufacturer approvals
Parts a company other than the maker may make for this engine and sell as FAA-approved. The companies holding the most:
Most often: gasket (59), ring (52), stud (38), magneto (28), oil filter (27), ignition harness (26), pin (25), washer (24), spring (23), bearing (21).
Certificates and bulletins
Safety bulletins 9 · advice, not orders
Sources: the FAA's type certificate data sheets, airworthiness directives, supplemental type certificates, special conditions and special airworthiness information bulletins (Dynamic Regulatory System), and the FAA's service difficulty reports. A failure report is what an operator or repair station chose to file; the counts show reporting as much as reliability, and larger and commercial fleets report more. How the systems are grouped.
Connections how this engine series links to the rest of the register
- Cessna 210 Centurion 2 with this engine series
- Cessna U206 Stationair 2 with this engine series
- Aero Commander 200 1 with this engine series
- Bellanca 17 Viking 1 with this engine series
- Cessna 206 Stationair 1 with this engine series
- Cessna P206 Super Skylane 1 with this engine series
- Wyoming 1 of these aircraft
- Washington 1 of these aircraft
- Nevada 1 of these aircraft
- New Mexico 1 of these aircraft
- Georgia 1 of these aircraft
- Volatile Aero Ventures LLC 1 of these aircraft
- Southern Aircraft Consultancy INC Trustee 1 of these aircraft
- Qualitair LLC Trustee 1 of these aircraft
- Copper River Airmotive LLC 1 of these aircraft
- FAA orders naming the Continental IO-520-A 32 airworthiness directives
- Failure reports on the Continental IO-520-A 73 reports since 1995
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/engine/continental-io-520-a.json.
Aircraft newest certificates first · 8
| Tail no. | Maker and model | Group | Owner and base | Certificate | Registered | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N206GR | Cessna U206F |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Copper River Airmotive LLC Copper Center, Alaska |
Standard | 2026-03-28 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N906RS | Cessna 210E |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Southern Aircraft Consultancy INC Trustee Casper, Wyoming |
Standard | 2026-02-18 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N4879F | Cessna U206A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Citizen Air LLC Port Angeles, Washington |
Restricted | 2025-05-05 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N326WR | Aero Commander 200 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Georgia |
Standard | 2023-03-08 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N296BJ | Cessna 210E |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Qualitair LLC Trustee Michelstadt, |
Standard | 2023-02-15 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N5090U | Cessna 206 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Volatile Aero Ventures LLC Boulder City, Nevada |
Standard | 2020-10-14 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N206SX | Cessna P206B |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Laughlin Audio Video Electric INC Santa Ynez, California |
Standard | 2019-01-25 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N8226R | Bellanca 17-30A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner New Mexico |
Standard | 1986-10-06 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
Source: FAA Civil Aviation Registry, Releasable Aircraft Database (the engine reference table and each aircraft's engine code), November 10, 2026. Horsepower and thrust are the FAA's figures for the series, not for a particular aircraft.