Engines · piston (reciprocating) · data as of October 9, 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
N5909R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2010-11-12	Valid
N3556S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Lakeland Aviation of Minocqua INC Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin	Standard	2010-11-04	Valid
N3685S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2010-11-04	Valid
N3499D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	2010-10-27	Valid
N4449B	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2010-10-27	Valid
N6893A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Farris Lyle e Faucett, Missouri	Standard	2010-10-14	Valid
N3440D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2010-10-13	Valid
N3740S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2010-10-13	Valid
N5013A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2010-10-13	Valid
N3913R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Maryland	Standard	2010-09-30	Valid
N1563Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Montana	Standard	2010-09-29	Valid
N8272U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner West Virginia	Standard	2010-09-28	Valid
N7790U	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Plane Fun INC Tr Trustee Snellville, Georgia	Standard	2010-09-24	Valid
N8283U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Wisconsin	Standard	2010-09-22	Valid
N5640A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Wyoming	Standard	2010-09-08	Valid
N973KG	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner District of Columbia	Standard	2010-09-08	Valid
N9161B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oklahoma	Standard	2010-08-26	Valid
N9841M	Maule M-4C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Missouri	Standard	2010-08-16	Valid
N2094Y	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Restricted	2010-08-12	Valid
N4679C	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2010-08-12	Valid
N4275L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2010-08-11	Valid
N721M	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	2010-08-05	Valid
N1626F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2010-08-04	Valid
N3487D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Maine	Standard	2010-08-02	Valid
N3236L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2010-07-30	Valid
N2482D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2010-07-29	Valid
N7827U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Maryland	Standard	2010-07-28	Valid
N7495X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Indiana	Standard	2010-07-27	Valid
N1312F	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2010-07-19	Valid
N4221L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2010-07-09	Valid
N8562U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2010-07-09	Valid
N3947V	Cessna 170	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2010-07-07	Valid
N7850U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2010-07-01	Valid
N170BT	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2010-06-24	Valid
N7085T	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2010-06-24	Valid
N2051Y	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Momba LLC New Braunfels, Texas	Standard	2010-06-22	Valid
N8953T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2010-06-21	Valid
N3934L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2010-06-18	Valid
N9127A	Cessna 170A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Louisiana	Standard	2010-06-17	Valid
N4153F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2010-06-16	Valid
N6837A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Maryland	Standard	2010-06-15	Valid
N77JF	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2010-06-15	Valid
N1105F	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Washington	Standard	2010-06-09	Valid
N7337T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oregon	Standard	2010-06-08	Valid
N5858A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner New York	Standard	2010-05-25	Valid
N3457D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Louisiana	Standard	2010-05-24	Valid
N7421T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2010-05-18	Valid
N8191U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Michigan	Standard	2010-05-13	Valid
N4497B	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2010-05-05	Valid
N2544Y	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2010-05-03	Valid
N5304R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Southern Arkansas Univ Tech Camden, Arkansas	Standard	2010-04-26	Valid
N7141A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2010-04-22	Valid
N8910B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arkansas	Standard	2010-04-20	Valid
N6083R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Dakota	Standard	2010-04-07	Valid
N59AD	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2010-03-29	Valid
N5610A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2010-03-04	Valid
N2323U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Minnesota	Multiple	2010-02-22	Valid
N3921R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	3921R Aviation LLC Broken Arrow, Oklahoma	Standard	2010-02-11	Valid
N5935A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Virginia	Standard	2010-02-03	Valid
N6706A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Montana	Standard	2010-01-26	Valid
N7499A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Nevada	Standard	2010-01-22	Valid
N7531T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2010-01-19	Valid
N1657F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2010-01-13	Valid
N4424L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2010-01-13	Valid
N5137A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2010-01-08	Valid
N9118B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Culpeper Aviation LLC Queen Creek, Arizona	Standard	2009-12-30	Valid
N6635A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Lewis John Abbyville, Kansas	Standard	2009-12-23	Valid
N7206T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2009-12-17	Valid
N1587Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Fry William A Willmar, Minnesota	Standard	2009-12-16	Valid
N2379U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Alaska Aircraft Leasing LLC Silverdale, Washington	Standard	2009-12-16	Valid
N7524T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Bohn Flying LLC Tijeras, New Mexico	Standard	2009-12-14	Valid
N8231X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2009-12-10	Valid
N2513Y	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2009-12-08	Valid
N225MJ	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2009-12-04	Valid
N2819C	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Multiple	2009-12-03	Valid
N8603B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alaska	Standard	2009-11-20	Valid
N100K	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	N18T LTD Wilmington, Delaware	Standard	2009-11-18	Valid
N5505X	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Missouri	Standard	2009-11-17	Valid
N1606Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Fellows James S JR Fawnskin, California	Standard	2009-11-13	Valid
N5602A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Missouri	Standard	2009-11-06	Valid
N4200F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	2009-11-05	Valid
N619JM	Globe GC-1B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2009-10-30	Valid
N8564B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Minnesota	Standard	2009-10-30	Valid
N1460F	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Wisconsin	Standard	2009-10-28	Valid
N4200L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2009-10-26	Valid
N3642L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Metro Technology Centers Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	Standard	2009-10-20	Valid
N2411Y	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Jersey	Standard	2009-10-19	Valid
N4042F	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Tweedle Dee LLC John Day, Oregon	Standard	2009-10-16	Valid
N172GX	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Standard	2009-10-14	Valid
N8493X	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2009-10-14	Valid
N5687R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2009-10-05	Valid
N3251L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arkansas	Standard	2009-10-02	Valid
N8483U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Wilson Aviation LLC Lamar, Missouri	Standard	2009-09-30	Valid
N6467E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2009-09-29	Valid
N6468B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Bachman Airworks LLC Spokane Valley, Washington	Standard	2009-09-28	Valid
N5531R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2009-09-25	Valid
N5550R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Metro Technology Centers Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	Standard	2009-09-25	Valid
N7433A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	2009-09-24	Valid
N8165B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Wisconsin	Standard	2009-09-21	Valid
N170AT	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Van Anda Aviation LLC Apopka, Florida	Standard	2009-09-02	Valid

Source: FAA Civil Aviation Registry, Releasable Aircraft Database (the engine reference table and each aircraft's engine code), October 9, 2026. Horsepower and thrust are the FAA's figures for the series, not for a particular aircraft.