Continental IO-520-BB
44 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Continental IO-520-BB engine, rated at about 285 horsepower. The Beechcraft F33 Bonanza is the model most often fitted with it (20 aircraft). The aircraft carrying it were built between 1946 and 2014.
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-BB. FAA spelling: IO-520-BB.
Fuel: 100LL avgas.
Fitted to model families
Beechcraft F33 Bonanza20Beechcraft V35 Bonanza11Beechcraft A36 Bonanza5Beech 331Beechcraft D-451Flightcraft Llc F-33A1Navion NAVION H1North American NAVION1North American Aviation Inc NAVION1Ryan NAVION1Ryan NAVION A1
Model families, as a table
| aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Beechcraft F33 Bonanza | 20 |
| Beechcraft V35 Bonanza | 11 |
| Beechcraft A36 Bonanza | 5 |
| Beech 33 | 1 |
| Beechcraft D-45 | 1 |
| Flightcraft Llc F-33A | 1 |
| Navion NAVION H | 1 |
| North American NAVION | 1 |
| North American Aviation Inc NAVION | 1 |
| Ryan NAVION | 1 |
| Ryan NAVION A | 1 |
Beechcraft F33 Bonanza · Beechcraft V35 Bonanza · Beechcraft A36 Bonanza · Beech 33 · Beechcraft D-45 · Flightcraft Llc F-33A · Navion NAVION H · North American NAVION · North American Aviation Inc NAVION · Ryan NAVION
Where they are owner's state
What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Continental IO-520-BB the component layer
The design is held under 1 type certificate (E5CE, held by Continental Aerospace Technologies, INC.). The FAA has issued 31 airworthiness directives (orders that owners must comply with) that name this engine series. Operators and repair shops have filed 388 failure reports with the FAA since 1995, 15 of them in the last ten years.
FAA orders 31 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
Failure reports 388 since · what operators and shops told the FAA
Failure reports by year, as a table
| reports | |
|---|---|
| 95 | 11 |
| 96 | 2 |
| 97 | 3 |
| 98 | 1 |
| 99 | 2 |
| 00 | 7 |
| 01 | 23 |
| 02 | 56 |
| 03 | 39 |
| 04 | 9 |
| 05 | 18 |
| 06 | 3 |
| 07 | 1 |
| 08 | 1 |
| 09 | 7 |
| 10 | 25 |
| 11 | 59 |
| 12 | 34 |
| 13 | 26 |
| 14 | 31 |
| 15 | 15 |
| 16 | 5 |
| 17 | 2 |
| 18 | 3 |
| 19 | 3 |
| 25 | 2 |
Parts most often reported as the reports name them
Circuit Breaker132Pump62Relay46Brushes16Switch12Distributor Blk11Magneto6Motor6Control Cable5Fuel Control5
Parts most reported, as a table
| reports | |
|---|---|
| Circuit Breaker | 132 |
| Pump | 62 |
| Relay | 46 |
| Brushes | 16 |
| Switch | 12 |
| Distributor Blk | 11 |
| Magneto | 6 |
| Motor | 6 |
| Control Cable | 5 |
| Fuel Control | 5 |
Latest reports
2025-09-24Intake Valve: damaged
2025-05-09Retaining Clip: worn
2019-06-10Case Half: cracked
2019-05-13Cable Assy: corroded
2019-01-05Control Cable: broken
Approved replacement parts 52 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:
Hartzell Engine Technologies LLC 13Champion Aerospace LLC 12Superior Air Parts INC 10Ram Aircraft Limited Partnership 3Mcfarlane Aviation INC 3Alaskan Aircraft Engines INC 2Airmotive Engineering CORP 2Unison Industries (Formerly Slick Aircraft Products) 1
Most often: magneto (10), harness (8), alternator (6), bearing (5), pin (4), studded (3), stud (3), coupling (2), bushing (2), supplemental data (1).
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
- Beechcraft F33 Bonanza 20 with this engine series
- Beechcraft V35 Bonanza 11 with this engine series
- Beechcraft A36 Bonanza 5 with this engine series
- Beechcraft D-45 1 with this engine series
- Navion NAVION H 1 with this engine series
- North American NAVION 1 with this engine series
- Ryan NAVION 1 with this engine series
- Ryan NAVION A 1 with this engine series
Where they are
- California 5 of these aircraft
- Texas 4 of these aircraft
- Florida 3 of these aircraft
- Wyoming 2 of these aircraft
- Utah 2 of these aircraft
Biggest operators
- Sky West Aviation INC Trustee 2 of these aircraft
- Qualitair LLC Trustee 2 of these aircraft
- Wildcat Aviation LLC 1 of these aircraft
- Valiair Lc Trustee 1 of these aircraft
Airworthiness
- FAA orders naming the Continental IO-520-BB 31 airworthiness directives
- Failure reports on the Continental IO-520-BB 388 reports since 1995
Analytics
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/engine/continental-io-520-bb.json.
Aircraft newest certificates first · 44
| Tail no. | Maker and model | Group | Owner and base | Certificate | Registered | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N778FY | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Qualitair LLC Trustee Michelstadt, |
Standard | 2026-07-15 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N882CC | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Sky West Aviation INC Trustee Albuquerque, New Mexico |
Standard | 2026-06-30 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N530C | Beech V35B |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Continental Title Trust LLC Trustee Wichita, Kansas |
Standard | 2026-06-02 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N118NH | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Southern Aircraft Consultancy INC Trustee Casper, Wyoming |
Standard | 2026-02-13 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N234AB | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner California |
Standard | 2025-10-16 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N3364B | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Colorado |
Standard | 2025-09-25 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N2854P | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Co-owned owner South Dakota |
Standard | 2025-09-24 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N124RM | North American NAVION |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Golden Dreams LLC Missoula, Montana |
Standard | 2025-09-15 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N366Z | Beech A36 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Florida |
Standard | 2025-08-21 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N48WW | Beech A36 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Supercub Aviation LLC College Station, Texas |
Standard | 2025-07-22 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N535BE | Beech V35B |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Valiair Lc Trustee Casper, Wyoming |
Standard | 2024-10-09 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N888HP | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Green Mountain State Aviation LLC Cornwall, Vermont |
Standard | 2024-09-20 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N927JB | Beech V35B |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Airgroup Express LLC Santa Rosa, California |
Standard | 2024-07-19 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N259JP | Navion NAVION H |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner North Carolina |
Standard | 2024-05-22 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N137CM | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Cm Aviation INC Trustee Wilmington, Delaware |
Standard | 2024-02-14 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N6878L | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Michigan |
Standard | 2023-10-11 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N4651B | Beech V35B |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Glenbear LLC Kalispell, Montana |
Standard | 2023-08-09 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N70PG | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | American Skyteam LLC Floral Park, New York |
Standard | 2023-04-20 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N335HP | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Olympus Leasing LLC Bremerton, Washington |
Standard | 2023-04-14 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N6653D | Beech V35B |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Texas |
Standard | 2023-01-17 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N11ZT | Beech 33 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Qualitair LLC Trustee Michelstadt, |
Standard | 2022-12-08 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N66648 | Beech V35B |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Sky West Aviation INC Trustee Albuquerque, New Mexico |
Standard | 2022-11-03 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N627AJ | Beech V35B |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Jorfam Properties LLC Dripping Springs, Texas |
Standard | 2022-05-19 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N6123X | Beech V35B |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Buffalo Aviators LLC Denver, Colorado |
Standard | 2022-04-29 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N338MG | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Ejdeha LLC Boston, Massachusetts |
Standard | 2021-11-17 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N69XG | Beech V35B |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Co-owned owner Utah |
Standard | 2021-08-17 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N48KU | Beech V35B |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Wildcat Aviation LLC Wilmington, Delaware |
Standard | 2021-03-20 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N26RT | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | International Air Services INC Trustee Carson City, Nevada |
Standard | 2020-10-13 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N956TD | Ryan NAVION |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner New York |
Standard | 2020-02-20 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N15549 | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Texas |
Standard | 2020-01-27 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N1947U | North American Aviation Inc NAVION |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Tri Pacer Air LLC Pennington, New Jersey |
Standard | 2019-12-31 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N775VC | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner California |
Standard | 2019-12-10 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N35TJ | Beech V35B |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Beech D9462 LLC Perry, Ohio |
Standard | 2019-08-06 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N7229X | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | H&H Aviation INC Port Orange, Florida |
Standard | 2017-12-07 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N423JK | Beech A36 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Co-owned owner Iowa |
Standard | 2017-10-02 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N61LP | Beech A36 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner California |
Standard | 2017-07-19 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N123RK | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Plane Fun INC Tr Trustee Snellville, Georgia |
Standard | 2017-06-27 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N536WG | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Advantage Aviation INC Palo Alto, California |
Standard | 2016-09-06 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N3115A | Flightcraft Llc F-33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Co-owned owner Oklahoma |
Experimental | 2015-04-08 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N66UT | Ryan NAVION A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Flight Level Engineering LLC Vineyard, Utah |
Experimental | 2015-03-30 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N224AB | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Skin LLC Charlotte, North Carolina |
Standard | 2011-11-28 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N6038Q | Beech F33A |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Florida |
Standard | 2011-08-22 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N67607 | Beech A36 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Michigan |
Standard | 2002-03-05 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N400LL | Beech D-45 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Mentor Flyers INC Paragon, Indiana |
Experimental | 1984-12-17 | 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 6, 2026. Horsepower and thrust are the FAA's figures for the series, not for a particular aircraft.