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
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
Kind of aircraft
By kind, as a table
| aircraft | share | |
|---|---|---|
| Piston singles | 6,621 | 100% |
| Piston twins | 1 | 0.0% |
| Helicopters | 1 | 0.0% |
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
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
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
Certificates and bulletins
Safety bulletins 3 · advice, not orders
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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- FAA orders naming the Continental O-300 series 7 airworthiness directives
- Failure reports on the Continental O-300 series 38 reports since 1995
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N8170P | Piper PA-24 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Lock Haven Aircraft Sales Lock Haven, Pennsylvania |
Standard | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes | |
| N8194B | Cessna 172 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Oregon |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N8231B | Cessna 172 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Delaware |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N8241U | Cessna 172F |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Arizona |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N8280X | Cessna 172C |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner North Carolina |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N8335T | Cessna 175C |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Wisconsin |
Standard | Pending cancellationFAA registration status code 19: Registration pending, pending cancellation. All codes | |
| N8416X | Cessna 172C |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Bas Part Sales LLC Greeley, Colorado |
Standard | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes | |
| N8491U | Cessna 172F |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Ohio |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N85GK | Cessna 172C |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner New York |
Standard | Sale reportedFAA registration status code 7. All codes | |
| N8618B | Cessna 172 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Texas |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N8719B | Cessna 172 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Nebraska |
Standard | Sale reportedFAA registration status code 17: Sale reported, pending cancellation. All codes | |
| N8760B | Cessna 172 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Managed Aviation INC The Villages, Florida |
Standard | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes | |
| N8773U | Cessna 172F |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner New Jersey |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N8817Z | Cessna 172H |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Washington |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N8829Z | Cessna 172H |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Bas Part Sales LLC Greeley, Colorado |
Standard | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes | |
| N8865U | Cessna 172F |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Kansas |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N8927B | Cessna 172 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Minnesota |
Standard | Sale reportedFAA registration status code 7. All codes | |
| N9156B | Cessna 172 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Wyoming |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N9162B | Cessna 172 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Medic Choppers LLC Springdale, Arkansas |
Standard | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes | |
| N9170B | Cessna 172 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Pennsylvania |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N9189B | Cessna 172 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Minnesota |
Standard | Sale reportedFAA registration status code 7. All codes | |
| N9193B | Cessna 172 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Texas |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N932RK | Cessna 172 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Alaska |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes |
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.