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
N983AM	Mazziotti Americo J STARDUSTER TOO SA300	Fixed-wing, single engine	Pivitech LLC Gravette, Arkansas	Experimental	2020-12-14	Valid
N1638F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2020-12-12	Valid
N5651R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Chickasha Wings INC Chickasha, Oklahoma	Standard	2020-12-12	Valid
N6061A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Standard	2020-12-12	Valid
N8741U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Iowa	Standard	2020-12-12	Valid
N8857B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Safe Skies Aviation LLC Middletown, Ohio	Standard	2020-12-12	Valid
N144PW	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Aerowood Aviation LLC Monroe, North Carolina	Standard	2020-12-10	Valid
N4000F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	De Lisio Frederick C Andover, Massachusetts	Standard	2020-12-10	Valid
N8694B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2020-12-10	Valid
N6800A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Pilots You Can Trust LLC Fayetteville, North Carolina	Standard	2020-12-08	Valid
N1611F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Georgia	Standard	2020-12-07	Valid
N3704F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Wisconsin	Standard	2020-12-07	Valid
N4146F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nebraska	Standard	2020-12-07	Valid
N4223L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2020-12-05	Valid
N7628X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Iowa	Standard	2020-12-05	Valid
N5103A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Utah	Standard	2020-11-21	Valid
N3254C	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alabama	Standard	2020-11-18	Valid
N7206A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2020-11-18	Valid
N7309T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Colorado	Standard	2020-11-18	Valid
N7467A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-11-17	Valid
N7814X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2020-11-14	Valid
N8459U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2020-11-13	Valid
N2571L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2020-11-10	Valid
N5612T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Standard	2020-11-10	Valid
N6187E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	2020-11-10	Valid
N8711B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner West Virginia	Standard	2020-11-10	Valid
N5459T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Iowa	Standard	2020-11-09	Valid
N8636B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Fisher'S Crop Care By Air LLC Fredericktown, Ohio	Standard	2020-11-07	Valid
N3667S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2020-11-06	Valid
N6481B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Maine	Standard	2020-11-06	Valid
N8312X	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2020-11-05	Valid
N1413F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2020-11-04	Valid
N2526Y	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2020-11-04	Valid
N3921L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-11-04	Valid
N4118L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Uan Venture Partners LLC Odessa, Florida	Standard	2020-11-04	Valid
N4383L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2020-11-04	Valid
N1577Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-11-03	Valid
N4685L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-11-02	Valid
N8383B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kentucky	Restricted	2020-10-28	Valid
N4461L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	2020-10-27	Valid
N4296F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2020-10-26	Valid
N170LM	Cessna 170	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Dakota	Standard	2020-10-21	Valid
N37718	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2020-10-21	Valid
N4410B	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-10-21	Valid
N8553U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Indiana	Standard	2020-10-21	Valid
N1462D	Cessna 170A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-10-20	Valid
N2503A	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine		Standard	2020-10-20	Valid
N8033X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2020-10-20	Valid
N2857L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oklahoma	Standard	2020-10-19	Valid
N455DR	Reisinger GREAT LAKES 2T1E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Tp Universal Exports Intl LLC Eden Prairie, Minnesota	Experimental	2020-10-17	Valid
N7762T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Multiple	2020-10-17	Valid
N7836X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Osage Aviation LLC Yates Center, Kansas	Standard	2020-10-17	Valid
N8157X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Riverside Flight Academy LLC Riverside, California	Standard	2020-10-17	Valid
N8254U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner North Dakota	Standard	2020-10-17	Valid
N8754B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Illinois	Standard	2020-10-17	Valid
N89WW	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Aley Jeffrey S II Granby, Colorado	Standard	2020-10-17	Valid
N2519L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	2 G Group LLC Honolulu, Hawaii	Standard	2020-10-16	Valid
N7535X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Missouri	Restricted	2020-10-15	Valid
N8668U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2020-10-15	Valid
N2091Y	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Cut and Snip Flyers LLC South Weber, Utah	Standard	2020-10-14	Valid
N3908R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Utah	Standard	2020-10-14	Valid
N3984F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2020-10-14	Valid
N2134Y	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Hi Line Flying Club INC Seattle, Washington	Standard	2020-10-09	Valid
N3946F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2020-10-08	Valid
N8252L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Sky and Summit Aviation LLC Suwanee, Georgia	Standard	2020-10-07	Valid
N2914U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2020-10-06	Valid
N4156L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2020-10-06	Valid
N3919F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2020-10-05	Valid
N2527Y	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Arizona	Standard	2020-10-01	Valid
N7939X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Hawaii	Standard	2020-09-30	Valid
N2676U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2020-09-29	Valid
N8161U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2020-09-29	Valid
N9850M	Maule M-4C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2020-09-29	Valid
N6344E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2020-09-24	Valid
N6437E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Fremont Flight Service LLC Fremont, Michigan	Standard	2020-09-22	Valid
N2927U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2020-09-21	Valid
N5556R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Wbs 1 LLC Huron, South Dakota	Standard	2020-09-21	Valid
N5917R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Virginia	Standard	2020-09-21	Valid
N1603F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Connecticut	Standard	2020-09-18	Valid
N1496Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-09-14	Valid
N3729F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2020-09-11	Valid
N7011A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2020-09-11	Valid
N8009A	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2020-09-11	Valid
N8192U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Jersey	Standard	2020-09-11	Valid
N6323E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Swedish Flying Couching LLC Franklin, Wisconsin	Standard	2020-09-10	Valid
N1812Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2020-09-09	Valid
N3060U	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2020-09-09	Valid
N3721L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Flightmaster Aviation Services INC Centerville, Indiana	Standard	2020-09-09	Valid
N3739L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2020-09-09	Valid
N4409B	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-09-09	Valid
N7433T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Colorado	Standard	2020-09-09	Valid
N7591T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2020-09-09	Valid
N8373B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Skyview Aviation LLC Tracy, California	Standard	2020-09-09	Valid
N5688A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Sutton Aircraft Salvage LLC Palmer, Alaska	Standard	2020-09-08	Valid
N7328T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Pickett Griffith Randall Kansas City, Missouri	Standard	2020-09-03	Valid
N4231L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Seaplanes R Fun INC Moneta, Virginia	Standard	2020-09-02	Valid
N8128U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alabama	Standard	2020-09-01	Valid
N1321Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-08-31	Valid
N3857R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2020-08-31	Valid
N5674A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2020-08-31	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.