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
N422RG	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner South Carolina	Standard	2020-01-28	Valid
N6865X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Florida	Standard	2020-01-28	Valid
N1784F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-01-27	Valid
N2500L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-01-24	Valid
N8845Z	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Florida	Standard	2020-01-24	Valid
N7442T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Vermont	Standard	2020-01-22	Valid
N2742U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Pembroke Farm LLC Conowingo, Maryland	Standard	2020-01-21	Valid
N77KB	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Bears Tooth Resources LLC Red Lodge, Montana	Standard	2020-01-16	Valid
N8277L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2020-01-16	Valid
N161AP	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	T3 Aerosports LLC Vian, Oklahoma	Standard	2020-01-15	Valid
N1681F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Withheld at owner's request	Standard	2020-01-15	Valid
N3260L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-01-15	Valid
N3482C	Cessna 170	Fixed-wing, single engine	Lacewell Matthew K Chugiak, Alaska	Standard	2020-01-15	Valid
N4038F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Kcantarano LLC Mukilteo, Washington	Standard	2020-01-15	Valid
N7088D	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Dakota	Standard	2020-01-15	Valid
N5679T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2020-01-14	Valid
N3000U	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	2020-01-10	Valid
N5691T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2020-01-10	Valid
N7367T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2020-01-10	Valid
N8549U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Standard	2020-01-10	Valid
N1104F	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner AP	Standard	2020-01-09	Valid
N202E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2020-01-09	Valid
N2625L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Yezarski Edward J Shirley, New York	Standard	2020-01-09	Valid
N5919A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2020-01-09	Valid
N936Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2020-01-09	Valid
N3715S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2020-01-07	Valid
N6431B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2020-01-07	Valid
N8908B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Ohio	Standard	2020-01-06	Valid
N8934B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kentucky	Standard	2020-01-06	Valid
N4127F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2020-01-03	Valid
N7786U	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2020-01-03	Valid
N7868X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2020-01-03	Valid
N6043R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Delage Enterprises Dent, Minnesota	Standard	2019-12-31	Valid
N8273U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Wings of Grace Ministries INC Melbourne, Florida	Standard	2019-12-31	Valid
N4281F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Four Winds Aviation LLC Stigler, Oklahoma	Standard	2019-12-30	Valid
N6179E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2019-12-30	Valid
N7959B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2019-12-30	Valid
N7855X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2019-12-26	Valid
N3589S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Erickson Miles Langley, Washington	Standard	2019-12-23	Valid
N7842U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Selig Benjamin L Arlington, Virginia	Standard	2019-12-23	Valid
N1369Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2019-12-19	Valid
N2559U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Snake River Flying Club LLC Horseshoe Bend, Idaho	Standard	2019-12-19	Valid
N3916R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Withheld at owner's request	Standard	2019-12-19	Valid
N4203F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Windham Air LLC Oxford, Florida	Standard	2019-12-19	Valid
N505JJ	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Aero Davis LLC Camden, Delaware	Standard	2019-12-18	Valid
N6470E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Montana	Standard	2019-12-18	Valid
N6929A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2019-12-17	Valid
N7925B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2019-12-16	Valid
N8192X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2019-12-16	Valid
N5783A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Bright Corner Charter LLC Bozeman, Montana	Standard	2019-12-13	Valid
N2491L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2019-12-10	Valid
N5651T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Withheld at owner's request	Standard	2019-12-10	Valid
N3629S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner West Virginia	Standard	2019-12-09	Valid
N3964S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Hartwig Scott N De Soto, Illinois	Standard	2019-12-09	Valid
N4455L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2019-12-09	Valid
N5500T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2019-12-09	Valid
N6089R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2019-12-09	Valid
N8069B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2019-12-09	Valid
N4390V	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2019-12-05	Valid
N8227B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2019-12-05	Valid
N7913T	Cessna 175A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Borsheim Richard R Red Lodge, Montana	Standard	2019-12-04	Valid
N2547L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2019-12-03	Valid
N2928D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner West Virginia	Multiple	2019-12-03	Valid
N3813L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Connecticut	Standard	2019-12-03	Valid
N5724R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2019-12-03	Valid
N7277A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2019-12-03	Valid
N8667B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner New York	Standard	2019-12-03	Valid
N980TA	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2019-12-03	Valid
N5148A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2019-12-02	Valid
N7604T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Western Nebraska Technical College Scottsbluff, Nebraska	Standard	2019-12-02	Valid
N7678X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Sandstone Point Cattle CO LLC Seguin, Texas	Standard	2019-12-02	Valid
N8434X	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2019-12-02	Valid
N5133A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Lake Area Technical Institute Watertown, South Dakota	Standard	2019-11-26	Valid
N8899U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Tennessee	Standard	2019-11-26	Valid
N19HR	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2019-11-25	Valid
N5087A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Louisiana	Standard	2019-11-25	Valid
N7497A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2019-11-25	Valid
N8666B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2019-11-25	Valid
N3564C	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2019-11-21	Valid
N1756F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Heistad Aviation INC Houston, Texas	Standard	2019-11-20	Valid
N8630U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Ocala Aviation Services INC Ocala, Florida	Standard	2019-11-20	Valid
N3945S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2019-11-18	Valid
N6125E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Ivco Vne Consulting LLC Wilmington, Delaware	Standard	2019-11-18	Valid
N6803X	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alabama	Standard	2019-11-18	Valid
N8402X	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	2019-11-18	Valid
N5352T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Utah	Standard	2019-11-15	Valid
N8346X	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alaska	Standard	2019-11-14	Valid
N1434F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alaska	Standard	2019-11-13	Valid
N4623T	Maule M-4	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2019-11-13	Valid
N6160E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Multiple	2019-11-12	Valid
N2439Y	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Bluegate Engineering LLC Richburg, South Carolina	Standard	2019-11-07	Valid
N3918L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Mississippi	Standard	2019-11-07	Valid
N6438B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oklahoma	Standard	2019-11-07	Valid
N7057E	Cessna 175A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2019-11-07	Valid
N3900L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Shaw Flying Club LLC Cleveland, Mississippi	Standard	2019-11-05	Valid
N8064L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2019-11-05	Valid
N1957W	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2019-11-04	Valid
N3092A	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2019-11-01	Valid
N7560X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alaska	Standard	2019-10-31	Valid
N8987B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2019-10-29	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.