The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Engines · piston (reciprocating) · data as of November 9, 2026

Continental IO-520-CB

3 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Continental IO-520-CB engine, rated at about 285 horsepower. The Beechcraft E-55 is the model most often fitted with it (2 aircraft). The aircraft carrying it were built between 1966 and 1981.

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-CB. FAA spelling: IO-520-CB.

Fuel: 100LL avgas.

Where they are owner's state

By state, as a table
aircraft
Texas1
Florida1

Kind of aircraft

By kind, as a table
aircraftshare
Piston twins3100%

When the aircraft were built by decade

By decade built, as a table
aircraft
19601
19701
19801

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

The design is held under 1 type certificate (E5CE, held by Continental Aerospace Technologies, INC.). The FAA has issued 30 airworthiness directives (orders that owners must comply with) that name this engine series. Operators and repair shops have filed 68 failure reports with the FAA since 1995, 2 of them in the last ten years.

FAA orders 30 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
2016-09-152016-16-12 · Cylinder assemblies · engine

All orders naming the Continental IO-520-CB

Failure reports 68 since · what operators and shops told the FAA

03681195000510125
Failure reports by year, as a table
reports
952
966
971
981
993
006
013
025
037
044
052
0611
075
083
091
103
141
152
241
251

Parts most often reported as the reports name them

Parts most reported, as a table
reports
Cylinder18
Cylinder Head4
Channel3
Connecting Rod3
Engine3
Line2
Piston2
Throttle Cable2
Wire2
Arm1

Latest reports

2025-09-16Piston: separated
2024-03-28Rod: bent
2015-12-29Pump: burned
2015-01-27Connecting Rod: failed
2014-12-04Control Cable: broken

Approved replacement parts 34 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: magneto (10), harness (8), stud (3), coupling (2), bushing (2), studded (1), ring (1), oil filter (1), oil cooler (1), machining (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
Where they are
Biggest operators
Airworthiness

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

Aircraft newest certificates first · 3

Tail no.Maker and modelGroupOwner and baseCertificateRegisteredStatus
N767FA Beech
E-55
Fixed-wing, multi-engine Qualitair LLC Trustee
Michelstadt,
Standard 2020-05-27 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N7885C Beech
95-C55
Fixed-wing, multi-engine S Tec CORP
Mineral Wells, Texas
Experimental 2010-08-05 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N926BT Beech
E-55
Fixed-wing, multi-engine Telematic Systems INC
North Fort Myers, Florida
Standard 1988-02-03 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 9, 2026. Horsepower and thrust are the FAA's figures for the series, not for a particular aircraft.