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
N5915A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Dakota	Standard	2020-08-31	Valid
N7435T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2020-08-29	Valid
N7FK	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Red Rock Aviation LLC Las Vegas, Nevada	Standard	2020-08-26	Valid
N5403T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2020-08-25	Valid
N5554T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Bmtc Aircraft LLC Salem, Oregon	Standard	2020-08-25	Valid
N8221B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Washington	Standard	2020-08-24	Valid
N1476Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2020-08-21	Valid
N4683L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner West Virginia	Standard	2020-08-21	Valid
N3590C	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-08-20	Valid
N12016	Maule M-4	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2020-08-18	Valid
N1426Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Ismailyan Andre Canoga Park, California	Standard	2020-08-18	Valid
N2414U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	2020-08-18	Valid
N8177L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Mississippi	Multiple	2020-08-17	Valid
N2857U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2020-08-15	Valid
N7045T	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Washington	Standard	2020-08-15	Valid
N7A	Cessna 170A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Intabyte LLC Portland, Oregon	Standard	2020-08-13	Valid
N3942S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2020-08-12	Valid
N5722R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-08-11	Valid
N7254A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2020-08-11	Valid
N3887L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Montana	Standard	2020-08-10	Valid
N6999R	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2020-08-10	Valid
N7899X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2020-08-10	Valid
N2880C	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Minnesota	Standard	2020-08-08	Valid
N6455B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2020-08-08	Valid
N7084T	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner North Dakota	Standard	2020-08-06	Valid
N8509B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Standard	2020-08-06	Valid
N2307U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2020-08-05	Valid
N2583U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Ufly Vi LLC St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands	Standard	2020-08-05	Valid
N3487C	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Missouri	Standard	2020-08-05	Valid
N2370U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Experimental	2020-08-04	Valid
N5668T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-08-04	Valid
N7844U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Arizona	Standard	2020-08-04	Valid
N1527Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Restricted	2020-08-03	Valid
N4195F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2020-08-03	Valid
N170LC	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Nebraska	Standard	2020-08-01	Valid
N6928X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	N6928X LLC Sandpoint, Idaho	Standard	2020-08-01	Valid
N8163U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-08-01	Valid
N8438X	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2020-08-01	Valid
N8644B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Uavionix CORP Bigfork, Montana	Standard	2020-07-30	Valid
N7313A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2020-07-29	Valid
N9LA	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2020-07-29	Valid
N3609S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2020-07-28	Valid
N3947R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Standard	2020-07-28	Valid
N5939R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2020-07-28	Valid
N6250E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oklahoma	Standard	2020-07-27	Valid
N2537L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2020-07-24	Valid
N3867R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Ohio	Standard	2020-07-24	Valid
N400SK	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-07-24	Valid
N5604T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2020-07-24	Valid
N6765A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Niehues Reid B Eola, Texas	Standard	2020-07-24	Valid
N8103L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Soaring Mrt LLC Lake Charles, Louisiana	Standard	2020-07-24	Valid
N5180F	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	United States Air Force Owner Hanscom Afb, Massachusetts	Standard	2020-07-23	Valid
N683HD	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Washington	Standard	2020-07-23	Valid
N8996B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-07-23	Valid
N6490B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2020-07-22	Valid
N8062X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arkansas	Standard	2020-07-22	Valid
N1692F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Montana	Standard	2020-07-21	Valid
N511E	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Ziese and Grieshaber Consulting LLC Catawba, North Carolina	Standard	2020-07-21	Valid
N3571D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2020-07-20	Valid
N6992X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-07-20	Valid
N7445T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-07-20	Valid
N2732U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2020-07-17	Valid
N3786L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2020-07-10	Valid
N2742L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2020-07-09	Valid
N5660T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Choose You LLC Twin Falls, Idaho	Standard	2020-07-08	Valid
N2826U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	2020-07-07	Valid
N8139X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner District of Columbia	Standard	2020-07-07	Valid
N3832L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2020-07-02	Valid
N7400A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Arizona	Standard	2020-07-01	Valid
N8385B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Tkn Holdings LLC Pima, Arizona	Standard	2020-07-01	Valid
N6121E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Utah	Standard	2020-06-30	Valid
N7467T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2020-06-29	Valid
N8170T	Cessna 175B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Vermont	Standard	2020-06-29	Valid
N1528Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Texoma Aero Club Denison, Texas	Standard	2020-06-25	Valid
N20997	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Aerowood Aviation LLC Monroe, North Carolina	Standard	2020-06-25	Valid
N1664F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2020-06-24	Valid
N2433Y	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oregon	Standard	2020-06-23	Valid
N6047A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	James Theodore B Marine St Crx, Minnesota	Standard	2020-06-23	Valid
N6290E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2020-06-23	Valid
N817PS	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Sutton Aircraft Salvage LLC Palmer, Alaska	Standard	2020-06-22	Valid
N7420X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2020-06-16	Valid
N2642L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Riggin Flight Service INC Madison, South Dakota	Standard	2020-06-15	Valid
N5626A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Aero Gravity Media INC Delray Beach, Florida	Standard	2020-06-15	Valid
N2723L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Jkr7 LLC The Dalles, Oregon	Standard	2020-06-12	Valid
N1331Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	S & J 172 LLC Florence, South Carolina	Standard	2020-06-10	Valid
N8692B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner New York	Standard	2020-06-10	Valid
N9180B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2020-06-10	Valid
N4711T	Maule M-4	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-06-08	Valid
N5092A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Hansen Aviation LLC Savannah, Georgia	Standard	2020-06-08	Valid
N12TY	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Standard	2020-06-05	Valid
N8249X	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Dish Technologies LLC Elm City, North Carolina	Standard	2020-06-04	Valid
N8900B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-06-04	Valid
N5658R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Virginia	Standard	2020-06-03	Valid
N5946R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Elite Aeronautics LLC Miami, Florida	Standard	2020-06-02	Valid
N84CC	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Kansas	Standard	2020-06-02	Valid
N3801L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2020-06-01	Valid
N1129F	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Montana	Standard	2020-05-29	Valid
N5773R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2020-05-28	Valid
N5890R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kentucky	Standard	2020-05-28	Valid
N2719U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2020-05-27	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.