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
N4613L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2018-03-13	Valid
N543DF	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Richardson Daniel D Caldwell, Idaho	Standard	2018-03-06	Valid
N7417A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Missouri	Standard	2018-03-06	Valid
N8183U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2018-03-06	Valid
N2613L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Ozark Aviators INC Willow Springs, Missouri	Standard	2018-02-28	Valid
N7868U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2018-02-28	Valid
N4969R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	United States Air Force Owner Offutt Afb, Nebraska	Standard	2018-02-20	Valid
N6274E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Huff Air LLC Uvalde, Texas	Standard	2018-02-20	Valid
N8208B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2018-02-15	Valid
N3584C	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Nebraska	Standard	2018-02-12	Valid
N3743L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Aero Flight Two LLC Peoria, Arizona	Multiple	2018-02-12	Valid
N3641L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Seaplanes R Fun INC Wilmington, Delaware	Standard	2018-02-08	Valid
N3654L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Heritage In Flight Museum INC Lincoln, Illinois	Standard	2018-02-07	Valid
N7782T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arkansas	Standard	2018-02-06	Valid
N7863T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2018-02-05	Valid
N7910B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oregon	Standard	2018-02-05	Valid
N170FS	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	She-Rat Aviation INC Wilmington, Delaware	Standard	2018-02-01	Valid
N2993D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Bcw Aviation LLC Sigourney, Iowa	Standard	2018-01-30	Valid
N5669A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2018-01-30	Valid
N5792R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2018-01-30	Valid
N6047R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2018-01-30	Valid
N2015Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2018-01-29	Valid
N7812U	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Ps Aviation INC Granada, Minnesota	Standard	2018-01-26	Valid
N2088Y	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2018-01-25	Valid
N2376U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2018-01-25	Valid
N8085B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2018-01-25	Valid
N8101X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Idaho	Standard	2018-01-25	Valid
N2761L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2018-01-24	Valid
N5561T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Maine	Standard	2018-01-24	Valid
N2878L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2018-01-23	Valid
N3404D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2018-01-17	Valid
N3750F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2018-01-17	Valid
N1743F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Little Bird Airways LLC Hamburg, New York	Standard	2018-01-16	Valid
N2382U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Mrnm LLC Albia, Iowa	Standard	2018-01-16	Valid
N7460T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2018-01-16	Valid
N2866L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2018-01-11	Valid
N1684F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Tennessee	Standard	2018-01-10	Valid
N8354B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Tri Flight LLC Cottonwood, Minnesota	Standard	2018-01-09	Valid
N8501U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Utah	Standard	2018-01-08	Valid
N5389R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2018-01-04	Valid
N6074R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nebraska	Standard	2018-01-04	Valid
N1778F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2018-01-03	Valid
N5327T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2018-01-02	Valid
N8354U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2017-12-29	Valid
N3725S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alaska	Standard	2017-12-28	Valid
N5684A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Massachusetts	Standard	2017-12-28	Valid
N2500X	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2017-12-27	Valid
N6249E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Rlp Aviation LLC Missoula, Montana	Standard	2017-12-27	Valid
N6485E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Dakota	Standard	2017-12-26	Valid
N2167Y	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Michigan	Standard	2017-12-22	Valid
N6956A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nebraska	Standard	2017-12-22	Valid
N8094B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Rutherford County Air Rescue Squad Rutherfordton, North Carolina	Standard	2017-12-22	Valid
N3950F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Dakota	Standard	2017-12-21	Valid
N5943R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Gear Down Hangar LLC Phoenix, Arizona	Standard	2017-12-21	Valid
N6482B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2017-12-19	Valid
N717VV	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Southern Kentucky Flying Club LLC Bowling Green, Kentucky	Standard	2017-12-19	Valid
N8783B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Virginia	Standard	2017-12-18	Valid
N1191F	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2017-12-15	Valid
N8137B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2017-12-15	Valid
N6310E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oregon	Standard	2017-12-14	Valid
N7639T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Mississippi	Standard	2017-12-14	Valid
N4302L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Nebraska	Standard	2017-12-13	Valid
N3881L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	None on file	2017-12-12	Valid
N5364T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2017-12-12	Valid
N8595U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kentucky	Standard	2017-12-11	Valid
N2842U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Rhode Island	Standard	2017-12-08	Valid
N8349U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2017-12-08	Valid
N91WA	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2017-12-08	Valid
N5853A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2017-12-06	Valid
N6200E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Multiple	2017-12-06	Valid
N8145B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2017-12-06	Valid
N6042R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	2017-12-05	Valid
N7062T	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Jardd INC Lorain, Ohio	Standard	2017-12-05	Valid
N8300B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Arkansas	Standard	2017-12-05	Valid
N2514U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2017-11-30	Valid
N7880T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Michigan	Standard	2017-11-30	Valid
N6087A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Flood Plain Farm and Mercantile LLC Curlew, Washington	Standard	2017-11-29	Valid
N678RM	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Indiana	Standard	2017-11-29	Valid
N8000B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Iowa	Standard	2017-11-29	Valid
N7089A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2017-11-28	Valid
N4241F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Mississippi	Standard	2017-11-27	Valid
N2749L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2017-11-17	Valid
N5825A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kentucky	Standard	2017-11-17	Valid
N8239X	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nebraska	Restricted	2017-11-17	Valid
N115MB	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Chalet Suzanne Aviation INC Lake Wales, Florida	Standard	2017-11-16	Valid
N2560V	Cessna 170	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2017-11-16	Valid
N2917D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2017-11-16	Valid
N3989L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2017-11-15	Valid
N4437B	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alaska	Standard	2017-11-13	Valid
N9115B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Parker Justin S Elko, Nevada	Standard	2017-11-13	Valid
N7989U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	A-Cent Aviation INC Jacksonville, Florida	Standard	2017-11-09	Valid
N8451X	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	2017-11-09	Valid
N3856L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alabama	Standard	2017-11-08	Valid
N5666R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Sport Flying USA INC Ronkonkoma, New York	Standard	2017-11-08	Valid
N5837A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2017-11-08	Valid
N6345E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2017-11-08	Valid
N7419A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2017-11-07	Valid
N7665X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Avz Aviation.Inc Knoxville, Tennessee	Standard	2017-11-07	Valid
N1307G	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Pray Aviation INC Augusta, Kansas	Standard	2017-11-06	Valid
N4029F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2017-11-06	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.