The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Engines · piston (reciprocating) · data as of October 5, 2026

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.

Fitted to model families

Cessna 210 Centurion2Cessna U206 Stationair2Aero Commander 2001Bellanca 17 Viking1Cessna 206 Stationair1Cessna P206 Super Skylane1

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

Wyoming1Washington1Nevada1New Mexico1Georgia1California1Alaska1

Kind of aircraft

Piston singles8 (100%)

When the aircraft were built by decade

012455196021970

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

2023-10-262023-17-04 · Reciprocating Engine Oil System · engine
2023-03-152023-05-16 · Reciprocating Engine Power Section · engine
2023-02-232023-04-08 · Reciprocating Engine Power Section · engine
2023-02-172023-02-12 · Engine Air Intake System · engine
2022-08-152022-16-03 · Engine (RECIPROCATING) · engine
2022-03-292022-04-04 · Reciprocating Engine Oil System · engine

All orders naming the Continental IO-520-A

Failure reports 73 since · what operators and shops told the FAA

03681195000513119

Parts most often reported as the reports name them

Cylinder11Bulkhead4Angle3Cylinder Head3Hub3Pump3Skin3Bearing2Crankshaft2Hose2

Latest reports

2019-09-13Engine: failed
2014-05-13Cylinder: damaged
2013-08-15Bearing: failed
2013-05-21Saddle: cracked
2013-05-21Saddle: cracked

Certificates and bulletins

E5CEType certificate held by Continental Aerospace Technologies, INC. · 18 models listed · revised March 8, 2022

Safety bulletins 9 · advice, not orders

2020-04-06NE-20-05 · POWERPLANT - Engine Camshaft Gear Tooth Fracture
2018-06-20NE-18-16 · POWERPLANT Alternator Drive Coupling
2017-05-10NE-17-11 · POWERPLANT Engine damage as a result of kickback
2016-03-08NE-16-13 · Powerplant - Prohibited use of sealant
2013-02-08NE-13-15 · Engine Controls: Continental Motors, Inc. (CMI) Throttle and Mixture Control Levers

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

Fitted to
Where they are
Biggest operators
Airworthiness

These connections as data: /graph/engine/continental-io-520-a.json · about the eFlight graph.

Aircraft newest certificates first · 8

Tail no.Maker and modelGroupOwner and baseCertificateRegisteredStatus
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), October 5, 2026. Horsepower and thrust are the FAA's figures for the series, not for a particular aircraft.