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
N3659S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Maine	Standard	1999-10-12	Valid
N6142E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	1999-10-04	Valid
N8655B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	1999-09-27	Valid
N321BM	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Standard	1999-09-23	Valid
N7894U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nevada	Standard	1999-09-22	Valid
N333KV	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Iowa	Standard	1999-09-21	Valid
N2463C	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	1999-09-20	Valid
N5502T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Pennsylvania	Standard	1999-09-13	Valid
N3580J	Cessna 150E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	1999-09-08	Valid
N6457E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Ohio	Standard	1999-09-08	Valid
N2303U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	1999-08-30	Valid
N2984U	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	1999-08-09	Valid
N7886T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Florida	Standard	1999-07-31	Valid
N172WV	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	1999-07-27	Valid
N3553C	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Standard	1999-07-26	Valid
N7370T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Delaware	Standard	1999-07-20	Valid
N8664B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Standard	1999-07-15	Valid
N5797R	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Florida	Standard	1999-07-01	Valid
N4227L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	1999-06-30	Valid
N9722T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Kansas	Standard	1999-06-30	Valid
N8822B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Nevada	Standard	1999-06-24	Valid
N7691T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alabama	Standard	1999-06-14	Valid
N6674A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oregon	Standard	1999-06-08	Valid
N5100A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Plane Sense INC Kindred, North Dakota	Standard	1999-06-07	Valid
N8752U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Farm Air CORP Hoxie, Arkansas	Standard	1999-05-24	Valid
N7500T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	1999-05-15	Valid
N3850R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Montana	Standard	1999-05-03	Valid
N8926B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	1999-04-27	Valid
N6148E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Indiana	Standard	1999-04-26	Valid
N3726R	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Jrs Appliance Disposal INC Inver Grove Hts, Minnesota	Standard	1999-04-24	Valid
N2563J	Cessna 150E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	1999-04-08	Valid
N7487A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Dakota	Standard	1999-03-25	Valid
N8657U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Standard	1999-03-16	Valid
N3495D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	1999-02-18	Valid
N4450L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	South Side CORP Cody, Nebraska	Standard	1999-01-29	Valid
N6720A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	1999-01-26	Valid
N5781T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Pennsylvania	Standard	1999-01-04	Valid
N7035A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	1998-12-17	Valid
N4159C	Maule M-4	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	1998-12-10	Valid
N7486T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oklahoma	Standard	1998-12-07	Valid
N3298L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Maine	Standard	1998-12-03	Valid
N3940S	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Princess Air INC Pocahontas, Iowa	Standard	1998-12-01	Valid
N6175E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	1998-11-02	Valid
N3297L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	1998-10-19	Valid
N4714T	Maule M-4	Fixed-wing, single engine	Jed Homes INC Lisbon, Connecticut	Standard	1998-10-17	Valid
N5379T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	1998-10-02	Valid
N4136L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	1998-10-01	Valid
N7242T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Arkansas	Standard	1998-10-01	Valid
N7982U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Indiana	Standard	1998-09-30	Valid
N361CC	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Indiana	Standard	1998-09-21	Valid
N7512T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	1998-09-17	Valid
N4357B	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	1998-09-12	Valid
N2940D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	1998-09-04	Valid
N8401X	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Idaho	Standard	1998-09-04	Valid
N4335L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Florida	Standard	1998-08-31	Valid
N3611L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Vick Garland L Benton, Arkansas	Standard	1998-08-15	Valid
N7861U	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	150 Flyers Ithaca, Michigan	Standard	1998-08-15	Valid
N2643U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	1998-08-07	Valid
N3454D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	1998-08-06	Valid
N6329E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	1998-08-04	Valid
N7480A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Pacific AG Services Firebaugh, California	Standard	1998-08-04	Valid
N7128A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oklahoma	Standard	1998-07-25	Valid
N5962A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	1998-07-20	Valid
N8124X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	1998-07-13	Valid
N1686Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	1998-06-30	Valid
N7961B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	1998-06-12	Valid
N271RM	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	1998-06-11	Valid
N7690T	Cessna 172A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Franwick Industries LLC Westbrook, Connecticut	Standard	1998-06-08	Valid
N8055L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Kansas	Standard	1998-06-05	Valid
N3491C	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	North Sound Aviation INC Sedro Woolley, Washington	Standard	1998-06-01	Valid
N4134L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Mountain View Aviation INC Cedar Bluff, Virginia	Standard	1998-06-01	Valid
N5766T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Janson Flying Service INC Wadena, Minnesota	Standard	1998-05-18	Valid
N8867B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	1998-05-09	Valid
N8375X	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	1998-05-08	Valid
N3098U	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	1998-05-04	Valid
N3859L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	1998-05-04	Valid
N7067T	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	1998-05-02	Valid
N2043Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	1998-04-30	Valid
N9123B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	1998-04-30	Valid
N9243A	Maule M-4	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	1998-04-28	Valid
N5545R	Cessna 172F	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Wyoming	Standard	1998-04-22	Valid
N1319Y	Cessna 172C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	1998-04-08	Valid
N2939D	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	1998-03-18	Valid
N6910A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Colorado	Standard	1998-03-18	Valid
N3653L	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Iowa	Standard	1998-03-13	Valid
N1172G	Cessna 172G	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Standard	1998-02-27	Valid
N2668U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Mid South Aircraft INC Gadsden, Alabama	Standard	1998-02-19	Valid
N8591B	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Technical Education Services INC T/A Virginia Beach, Virginia	Standard	1998-02-17	Valid
N3501C	Cessna 170B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	1998-02-05	Valid
N5715T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	1998-02-02	Valid
N5329T	Cessna 172E	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	1998-01-30	Valid
N2772L	Cessna 172H	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Standard	1998-01-20	Valid
N6393E	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Colorado	Standard	1997-12-30	Valid
N7138T	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alabama	Standard	1997-12-17	Valid
N6000A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oregon	Standard	1997-12-06	Valid
N7455X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Tennessee	Standard	1997-11-07	Valid
N2076Y	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	1997-11-05	Valid
N7506X	Cessna 172B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	1997-11-01	Valid
N7049A	Cessna 172	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	1997-10-23	Valid
N2618U	Cessna 172D	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Virginia	Standard	1997-10-15	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.