The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Engines · piston (reciprocating) · data as of November 10, 2026

Continental IO-520-BA

25 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Continental IO-520-BA engine, rated at about 285 horsepower. The Beechcraft V35 Bonanza is the model most often fitted with it (10 aircraft). The aircraft carrying it were built between 1953 and 1978.

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-BA. FAA spelling: IO-520-BA.

Fuel: 100LL avgas.

Kind of aircraft

By kind, as a table
aircraftshare
Piston singles25100%

When the aircraft were built by decade

By decade built, as a table
aircraft
19502
19604
197017

What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Continental IO-520-BA the component layer

The design is held under 1 type certificate (E5CE, held by Continental Aerospace Technologies, INC.). The FAA has issued 33 airworthiness directives (orders that owners must comply with) that name this engine series. Operators and repair shops have filed 111 failure reports with the FAA since 1995, 4 of them in the last ten years.

FAA orders 33 airworthiness directives · newest first

2023-10-262023-17-04 · Reciprocating Engine Oil System · engine
2023-07-172023-09-09 · Exhaust Turbine System (Recip) · 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

All orders naming the Continental IO-520-BA

Failure reports 111 since · what operators and shops told the FAA

0612192595010716126
Failure reports by year, as a table
reports
9510
964
9710
983
006
012
024
041
0525
0621
0712
083
102
111
151
162
172
181
261

Parts most often reported as the reports name them

Parts most reported, as a table
reports
Cylinder46
Cylinder Head15
Crankshaft5
Crankcase3
Piston3
Rib3
Bearing2
Bladder2
Control Cable2
Drive Gear2

Latest reports

2026-07-08Impulse Coupling: destroyed
2018-11-01Control Cable: corroded
2017-09-01Gasket: failed
2017-06-26Magneto: faulty
2016-10-20Brake Disc: failed

Approved replacement parts 121 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: stud (14), alternator (12), magneto (11), harness (8), gasket (7), ignition system (5), camshaft (5), bolt (5), gear (4), dipstick oil (4).

Certificates and bulletins

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

Safety bulletins 11 · 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

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/engine/continental-io-520-ba.json.

Aircraft newest certificates first · 25

Tail no.Maker and modelGroupOwner and baseCertificateRegisteredStatus
N65LV Beech
V35
Fixed-wing, single engine Sky West Aviation INC Trustee
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Standard 2026-06-25 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N160SP Beech
V35B
Fixed-wing, single engine Aerospace Trust Management LLC Trustee
Wilmington, Delaware
Standard 2026-06-08 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N447NA Beech
F33C
Fixed-wing, single engine Southern Aircraft Consultancy INC Trustee
Casper, Wyoming
Standard 2026-02-12 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N249WL Beech
F33C
Fixed-wing, single engine Southern Aircraft Consultancy INC Trustee
Casper, Wyoming
Standard 2026-02-06 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N964P Beech
A36
Fixed-wing, single engine Bonanza 964 LLC
Davie, Florida
Standard 2026-01-24 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N30VT Beech
V35B
Fixed-wing, single engine Plane Fun INC Tr (Trustee)
Snellville, Georgia
Standard 2024-12-17 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N8816X Beech
F33A
Fixed-wing, single engine Sky West Aviation INC Trustee
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Standard 2022-08-25 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N98MR Beech
V35B
Fixed-wing, single engine Aviato LLC
Heath, Texas
Standard 2022-07-16 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N600EJ Navion
NAVION H
Fixed-wing, single engine Qualitair LLC Trustee
Michelstadt,
Standard 2022-05-13 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N721W Beech
V35B
Fixed-wing, single engine Top Flight Aviation LLC
Kingfisher, Oklahoma
Standard 2022-04-25 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N18275 Beech
A36
Fixed-wing, single engine Co-owned owner
Louisiana
Standard 2021-08-12 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N545GM Beech
V35B
Fixed-wing, single engine International Air Services INC Trustee
Carson City, Nevada
Standard 2021-05-06 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N65SH Beech
F33C
Fixed-wing, single engine 65 Sierra Hotel LLC
Wilmington, Delaware
Standard 2021-04-15 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N35BN Beech
V35B
Fixed-wing, single engine Aerospace Trust Management LLC Trustee
Wilmington, Delaware
Standard 2020-10-07 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N961SF Beech
S35
Fixed-wing, single engine Bdr Aviation LLC
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Standard 2020-09-22 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N518M Beech
V35B
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
New York
Standard 2019-06-18 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N488JF Beech
A45
Fixed-wing, single engine Mentoraire LLC
Lake Forest, California
Standard 2018-12-15 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N34FU Beech
D-45
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
California
Standard 2018-08-30 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N974CC Beech
S35
Fixed-wing, single engine Plane Fun INC Tr Trustee
Snellville, Georgia
Standard 2018-08-13 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N6999N Beech
V35B
Fixed-wing, single engine 3V1 LLC
Pensacola, Florida
Standard 2017-08-08 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N675BW Beech
V35B
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Virginia
Standard 2016-02-29 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N1248D Beech
C-33A
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Florida
Standard 2015-10-29 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N17766 Beech
A36
Fixed-wing, single engine Elworthy Steven M
Huntington Beach, California
Standard 2010-06-28 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N45US Beech
F33A
Fixed-wing, single engine Flight Operations LLC
Hollister, Missouri
Standard 2010-04-16 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N9066S Beech
A36
Fixed-wing, single engine Power Flow Systems INC
Daytona Beach, Florida
Standard 2007-08-11 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.