The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Engines · piston (reciprocating) · data as of October 5, 2026

Continental TSIO-520-T

1 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Continental TSIO-520-T engine, rated at about 310 horsepower. The Cessna T188 is the model most often fitted with it (1 aircraft).

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 TSIO-520-T. FAA spelling: TSIO-520-T.

Fitted to model families

Cessna T1881

Cessna T188

Where they are owner's state

Delaware1

Kind of aircraft

Piston singles1 (100%)

When the aircraft were built by decade

0001111970

What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Continental TSIO-520-T the component layer

The design is held under 1 type certificate (E8CE, held by Continental Aerospace Technologies, INC.). The FAA has issued 31 airworthiness directives (orders that owners must comply with) that name this engine series. Operators and repair shops have filed 9 failure reports with the FAA since 1995, 4 of them in the last ten years.

FAA orders 31 airworthiness directives · newest first

2023-10-262023-17-04 · Reciprocating Engine Oil System · engine
2023-07-172023-09-09 · Exhaust Turbine System (Recip) · engine
2023-03-152023-05-16 · Reciprocating Engine Power Section · engine
2023-02-232023-04-08 · Reciprocating Engine Power Section · engine
2023-02-172023-02-12 · Engine Air Intake System · engine
2022-08-152022-16-03 · Engine (RECIPROCATING) · engine

All orders naming the Continental TSIO-520-T

Failure reports 9 since · what operators and shops told the FAA

00122295196203204109113

Parts most often reported as the reports name them

Crankshaft3Bracket1Control Cable1Hose1Intake Valve1Skin1Switch1

Latest reports

2013-03-11Skin: damaged
2009-05-31Bracket: fatigued
2004-08-16Switch: defective
2004-07-20Crankshaft: broken
2003-02-20Control Cable: frayed

Certificates and bulletins

E8CEType certificate held by Continental Aerospace Technologies, INC. · 31 models listed · revised April 6, 2020

Safety bulletins 10 · advice, not orders

2020-04-06NE-20-05 · POWERPLANT - Engine Camshaft Gear Tooth Fracture
2018-06-20NE-18-16 · POWERPLANT Alternator Drive Coupling
2017-05-10NE-17-11 · POWERPLANT Engine damage as a result of kickback
2016-03-08NE-16-13 · Powerplant - Prohibited use of sealant
2013-02-08NE-13-15 · Engine Controls: Continental Motors, Inc. (CMI) Throttle and Mixture Control Levers

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
Where they are
Biggest operators
Airworthiness

These connections as data: /graph/engine/continental-tsio-520-t.json · about the eFlight graph.

Aircraft newest certificates first · 1

Tail no.Maker and modelGroupOwner and baseCertificateRegisteredStatus
N385SP Cessna
T188C
Fixed-wing, single engine Aircraft Trustee Services INC Trustee
Dover, Delaware
Restricted 2022-01-20 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes

Source: FAA Civil Aviation Registry, Releasable Aircraft Database (the engine reference table and each aircraft's engine code), October 5, 2026. Horsepower and thrust are the FAA's figures for the series, not for a particular aircraft.