Engines · piston (reciprocating) · data as of October 8, 2026

Continental O-300 series

6,623 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Continental O-300 series engine, rated at about 145 horsepower. The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is the model most often fitted with it (6,073 aircraft). The aircraft carrying it were built between 1949 and 2021.

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 series. FAA spelling: 0-300 SER.

Fitted to model families

Model families, as a table

	aircraft
Cessna 172 Skyhawk	6,073
Cessna 170	372
Maule M-4	47
Cessna 175 Skylark	41
Globe GC-1 Swift	28
Aeronca 15	8
Temco GC-1	8
Cessna 150	7
Maule BEE DEE M-4	3
Piper PA-18 Super Cub	2
Piper PA-24 Comanche	2
American Champion Aircraft 7 Citabria and Champ	1

Cessna 172 Skyhawk · Cessna 170 · Maule M-4 · Cessna 175 Skylark · Globe GC-1 Swift · Aeronca 15 · Temco GC-1 · Cessna 150 · Maule BEE DEE M-4 · Piper PA-18 Super Cub

Where they are owner's state

Texas622California469Florida340Washington306Alaska267Michigan223Ohio219Georgia202Oregon194North Carolina191

By state, as a table

	aircraft
Texas	622
California	469
Florida	340
Washington	306
Alaska	267
Michigan	223
Ohio	219
Georgia	202
Oregon	194
North Carolina	191

Kind of aircraft

Piston singles6,621 (100%)Piston twins1 (0.0%)Helicopters1 (0.0%)

By kind, as a table

	aircraft	share
Piston singles	6,621	100%
Piston twins	1	0.0%
Helicopters	1	0.0%

When the aircraft were built by decade

By decade built, as a table

	aircraft
1940	62
1950	1,889
1960	3,524
1970	14
1980	3
1990	2
2000	3
2020	1

What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Continental O-300 series 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 38 failure reports with the FAA since 1995, 5 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 series

Failure reports 38 since · what operators and shops told the FAA

Failure reports by year, as a table

	reports
96	1
01	3
02	4
03	10
04	3
05	2
06	2
07	5
08	2
09	1
11	1
12	1
13	1
19	2

Parts most often reported as the reports name them

Baffle4Cylinder3Bulkhead2Connecting Rod2Stringer2Wheel2Adapter1Axle1Battery1Bearing Cage1

Parts most reported, as a table

	reports
Baffle	4
Cylinder	3
Bulkhead	2
Connecting Rod	2
Stringer	2
Wheel	2
Adapter	1
Axle	1
Battery	1
Bearing Cage	1

Latest reports

2019-11-19Line: broken

2019-05-10Cylinder: cracked

2013-02-22Counterweight: loose

2012-07-10Cylinder: cracked

2011-08-08Cylinder: broken

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

Cessna 172 Skyhawk 6,073 with this engine series
Cessna 170 372 with this engine series
Maule M-4 47 with this engine series
Cessna 175 Skylark 41 with this engine series
Globe GC-1 Swift 28 with this engine series
Aeronca 15 8 with this engine series
Temco GC-1 8 with this engine series
Cessna 150 7 with this engine series

Where they are

Texas 622 of these aircraft
California 469 of these aircraft
Florida 340 of these aircraft
Washington 306 of these aircraft
Alaska 267 of these aircraft

Biggest operators

United States Air Force Owner 10 of these aircraft
Bas Part Sales LLC 9 of these aircraft
Sutton Aircraft Salvage LLC 8 of these aircraft
Dmac Aircraft LLC 8 of these aircraft
United States Air Force 7 of these aircraft

Airworthiness

FAA orders naming the Continental O-300 series 7 airworthiness directives
Failure reports on the Continental O-300 series 38 reports since 1995

Analytics

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

Aircraft newest certificates first · 6,623

Tail no.	Maker and model	Group	Owner and base	Certificate	Registered	Status
N3534D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Missouri	Standard	2022-08-13	Valid
N2629L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2022-08-12	Valid
N2410U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Yellow Breast Aviation LLC Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands	Standard	2022-08-11	Valid
N5325R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2022-08-10	Valid
N1461Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nebraska	Standard	2022-08-09	Valid
N1336F	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Virginia	Standard	2022-08-06	Valid
N3507S	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2022-08-06	Valid
N4680L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2022-08-05	Valid
N7984B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-08-03	Valid
N8199U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2022-08-03	Valid
N3733R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2022-08-02	Valid
N4489B	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2022-08-02	Valid
N7885T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2022-08-02	Valid
N8339U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2022-08-02	Valid
N5621A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Medic Choppers LLC Springdale, Arkansas	Standard	2022-08-01	Valid
N7683T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2022-07-30	Valid
N8295B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Skywriters INC Ferndale, Washington	Multiple	2022-07-30	Valid
N8307B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Standard	2022-07-30	Valid
N3262L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Kd3262 LLC Downers Grove, Illinois	Standard	2022-07-29	Valid
N3912R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Bayshore Safety Pittsburg, California	Standard	2022-07-29	Valid
N8098A	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2022-07-28	Valid
N5322T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Chase 13 LLC Wilmington, Delaware	Standard	2022-07-27	Valid
N1613Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-07-22	Valid
N4025F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Westoplex Holdings LLC Mineral Wells, Texas	Standard	2022-07-22	Valid
N6815A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	N6815A LLC Allegan, Michigan	Standard	2022-07-22	Valid
N7453A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Swope Aviation Solutions LLC Independence, Missouri	Standard	2022-07-22	Valid
N4615L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Batie Matt G Black Hawk, South Dakota	Standard	2022-07-20	Valid
N4245L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Aero Missions INC Sylacauga, Alabama	Standard	2022-07-18	Valid
N5586R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2022-07-18	Valid
N10BF	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	2022-07-14	Valid
N1585Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Jersey	Standard	2022-07-12	Valid
N3919R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2022-07-12	Valid
N1330Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Dgj Tex LLC DBA Cleburne, Texas	Standard	2022-07-09	Valid
N122RP	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2022-07-07	Valid
N172JT	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Liberty Zone LLC Wilmington, Delaware	Standard	2022-07-07	Valid
N5755R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Kansas	Standard	2022-07-06	Valid
N6701A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2022-07-06	Valid
N2560U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2022-07-02	Valid
N5950A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kentucky	Standard	2022-07-02	Valid
N5783R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nevada	Standard	2022-07-01	Valid
N7063T	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2022-07-01	Valid
N7687X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2022-06-30	Valid
N7197T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	2022-06-29	Valid
N7627X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Georgia	Standard	2022-06-29	Valid
N3528S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Coyer Company INC Orr, Minnesota	Standard	2022-06-28	Valid
N4121F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wyoming	Standard	2022-06-28	Valid
N7536T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	D&K AG Service INC Lantry, South Dakota	Standard	2022-06-27	Valid
N7688T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arkansas	Standard	2022-06-27	Valid
N5506R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Anderson Interests LLC East Bernard, Texas	Standard	2022-06-25	Valid
N2782U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-06-23	Valid
N3728R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Raks Aviation LLC Hillsborough, New Jersey	Standard	2022-06-23	Valid
N4076F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oklahoma	Standard	2022-06-22	Valid
N5018A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2022-06-22	Valid
N6042A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2022-06-18	Valid
N6088R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2022-06-17	Valid
N2574Y	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	9Th Moon Enterprises LLC Alpine, Texas	Standard	2022-06-16	Valid
N3961F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2022-06-16	Valid
N7977U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2022-06-16	Valid
N8062B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2022-06-16	Valid
N4192F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oklahoma	Standard	2022-06-15	Valid
N2929U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2022-06-14	Valid
N3061U	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2022-06-14	Valid
N8190L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Utah	Standard	2022-06-13	Valid
N8311U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Vendetta Consulting LLC Bellevue, Nebraska	Standard	2022-06-13	Valid
N8304B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2022-06-10	Valid
N2621L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Tailwinds Flying LLC Cherokee Ridge, Alabama	Standard	2022-06-04	Valid
N5800R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Pomeroy Cattle Ranch LLC Kalispell, Montana	Standard	2022-06-03	Valid
N5908A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Pomeroy Cattle Ranch LLC Kalispell, Montana	Standard	2022-06-03	Valid
N7003A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2022-06-01	Valid
N7451X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Ready Aim Flyer LLC New Castle, Delaware	Standard	2022-05-31	Valid
N7859X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oregon	Standard	2022-05-28	Valid
N7259A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Colorado	Standard	2022-05-27	Valid
N7479X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2022-05-26	Valid
N77634	Milford BUCKAROO	Fixed-wing, single engine	Buckaroo LLC Senoia, Georgia	Experimental	2022-05-26	Valid
N4256L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2022-05-25	Valid
N7302T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2022-05-25	Valid
N8363X	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2022-05-25	Valid
N2741U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Nickel Aviation LLC Williamstown, New Jersey	Standard	2022-05-24	Valid
N3792S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Old Blue Aviation INC Mayodan, North Carolina	Standard	2022-05-24	Valid
N9848T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2022-05-24	Valid
N5851R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Smoky Bear Air LLC Rockwood, Tennessee	Standard	2022-05-23	Valid
N8534U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2022-05-19	Valid
N3500C	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2022-05-18	Valid
N6008A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2022-05-18	Valid
N5510T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-05-17	Valid
N1653Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-05-16	Valid
N553LF	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alaska	Standard	2022-05-13	Valid
N3935R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-05-12	Valid
N5664A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Standard	2022-05-10	Valid
N5937R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2022-05-10	Valid
N6939A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2022-05-10	Valid
N7875U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2022-05-09	Valid
N1183F	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2022-05-05	Valid
N6913X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arkansas	Standard	2022-05-05	Valid
N7416X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-05-04	Valid
N8726U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2022-05-03	Valid
N8393B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2022-05-02	Valid
N3861R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2022-04-30	Valid
N4020F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2022-04-30	Valid
N7189A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oregon	Standard	2022-04-30	Valid

Source: FAA Civil Aviation Registry, Releasable Aircraft Database (the engine reference table and each aircraft's engine code), October 8, 2026. Horsepower and thrust are the FAA's figures for the series, not for a particular aircraft.