The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Engines · piston (reciprocating) · data as of November 11, 2026

Continental O-300-B

2 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Continental O-300-B engine, rated at about 145 horsepower. The Cessna 170 is the model most often fitted with it (1 aircraft). The aircraft carrying it were built between 1952 and 1956.

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 O-300-B. FAA spelling: 0-300-B.

Fuel: 100LL avgas.

Fitted to model families

Model families, as a table
aircraft
Cessna 1701
Cessna 172 Skyhawk1

Cessna 170 · Cessna 172 Skyhawk

Where they are owner's state

By state, as a table
aircraft
Oregon1
Missouri1

Kind of aircraft

By kind, as a table
aircraftshare
Piston singles2100%

When the aircraft were built by decade

0012221950
By decade built, as a table
aircraft
19502

What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Continental O-300-B the component layer

The design is held under 1 type certificate (E-253, held by Continental Aerospace Technologies, INC.). The FAA has issued 7 airworthiness directives (orders that owners must comply with) that name this engine series. Operators and repair shops have filed 5 failure reports with the FAA since 1995, 2 of them in the last ten years.

FAA orders 7 airworthiness directives · newest first

2023-10-262023-17-04 · Reciprocating Engine Oil System · engine
2022-03-292022-04-04 · Reciprocating Engine Oil System · engine
2012-01-242011-26-07 · Engine · engine
2002-07-122002-13-04 · Magneto impulse coupling stop pin · engine
1996-02-1394-05-05 R1 · Cylinder Rocker · engine
1993-08-1293-10-02 · Missing Cylinder Valve Retainer Key · engine

All orders naming the Continental O-300-B

Failure reports 5 since · what operators and shops told the FAA

00011195101103113119
Failure reports by year, as a table
reports
951
011
031
131
191

Parts most often reported as the reports name them

Parts most reported, as a table
reports
Carburetor1
Cylinder1
Cylinder Head1
Exhaust Valve1
Piston Pin1

Latest reports

2019-09-15Cylinder Head: separated
2013-08-19Piston Pin: failed
2003-05-20Exhaust Valve: sticking
2001-05-08Cylinder: separated
1995-01-25Carburetor: defective

Approved replacement parts 30 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: harness (4), stud (3), ring (3), valve cover (2), pushrod tube (2), main bearing (2), engine preheat (2), dipstick oil (2), washer (1), rotor gear (1).

Certificates and bulletins

E-253Type certificate held by Continental Aerospace Technologies, INC. · 8 models listed · revised September 19, 2022

Safety bulletins 3 · advice, not orders

2018-09-10NE-18-27 · POWERPLANT Rocker Shaft Boss Inspection
2016-03-08NE-16-13 · Powerplant - Prohibited use of sealant
2012-10-31NE-13-04 · Continental Motors, Inc. (CMI) Connecting Rod Piston Pin Bushing Inspection

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
Airworthiness

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/engine/continental-o-300-b.json.

Aircraft newest certificates first · 2

Tail no.Maker and modelGroupOwner and baseCertificateRegisteredStatus
N8206A Cessna
170B
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Oregon
Standard 2024-02-28 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N5746A Cessna
172
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Missouri
Standard 2020-09-24 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 11, 2026. Horsepower and thrust are the FAA's figures for the series, not for a particular aircraft.