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

Lycoming IO-540-C1B5

9 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Lycoming IO-540-C1B5 engine, rated at about 250 horsepower. The Piper PA-24 Comanche is the model most often fitted with it (3 aircraft). The aircraft carrying it were built between 1964 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 Lycoming IO-540-C1B5. FAA spelling: IO-540-C1B5.

Fitted to model families

Piper PA-24 Comanche3Hubert Gerald E HUBERT SKYBOLT1Kufalk Darrell VELOCITY XL-RG1Lawrence J Ruth RV-101Miller Thomas M FOXTROT1Randy L Albritton RKM11Roy Wylie VANS RV-101

Piper PA-24 Comanche · Hubert Gerald E HUBERT SKYBOLT · Kufalk Darrell VELOCITY XL-RG · Lawrence J Ruth RV-10 · Miller Thomas M FOXTROT · Randy L Albritton RKM1 · Roy Wylie VANS RV-10

Where they are owner's state

Ohio2Wisconsin1Washington1Texas1Louisiana1Illinois1Delaware1California1

Kind of aircraft

Piston singles9 (100%)

When the aircraft were built by decade

0122311960320001201022020

What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Lycoming IO-540-C1B5 the component layer

The design is held under 1 type certificate (1E4, held by Lycoming Engines). The FAA has issued 38 airworthiness directives (orders that owners must comply with) that name this engine series. Operators and repair shops have filed 3 failure reports with the FAA since 1995, 1 of them in the last ten years.

FAA orders 38 airworthiness directives · newest first

2026-09-142026-17-10 · Reciprocating Engine Cylinder Section · engine
2026-04-082026-04-11 · Engine (Reciprocating) · engine
2024-12-052024-21-02 · Engine (Reciprocating) · engine
2015-11-032015-19-07 · Fuel injector fuel lines · engine
2012-10-242012-19-01 · Crankshafts · engine
2012-02-242012-03-06 · Fuel servo diaphragm · engine

All orders naming the Lycoming IO-540-C1B5

Failure reports 3 since · what operators and shops told the FAA

00122295111

Parts most often reported as the reports name them

Cylinder Head1Lock Plate1Tube1

Latest reports

2011-07-27Cylinder Head: cracked
1995-09-05Tube: cracked
1995-02-06Lock Plate: failed

Certificates and bulletins

1E4Type certificate held by Lycoming Engines · 81 models listed · revised February 28, 2018

Safety bulletins 6 · advice, not orders

2019-05-02NE-19-08 · Reciprocating Engine Cylinder Section - Lycoming Engines Parallel Valve Cylinders
2016-05-13NE-08-32R1 · Propeller Governor Idler Gear Shaft Set Screw
2014-03-24NE-14-13 · Reciprocating Engine - Cylinder Mounting Studs
2012-11-21NE-13-06 · Pushrod Shroud Spring Retainers, Engine Components Part No. AEL14995, for Lycoming Engines 320,...
2008-09-10NE-06-32R1 · Reciprocating Engine - Crankshaft

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
Airworthiness

These connections as data: /graph/engine/lycoming-io-540-c1b5.json · about the eFlight graph.

Aircraft newest certificates first · 9

Tail no.Maker and modelGroupOwner and baseCertificateRegisteredStatus
N8311P Piper
PA-24-250
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
California
Standard 2023-07-10 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N190KT Miller Thomas M
FOXTROT
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Ohio
Experimental 2023-03-31 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N8281P Piper
PA-24-250
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Texas
Standard 2021-06-30 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N527EC Roy Wylie
VANS RV-10
Fixed-wing, single engine Rdec LLC
Wilmington, Delaware
Experimental 2020-08-12 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N190SE Randy L Albritton
RKM1
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Washington
Experimental 2019-10-28 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N11LR Lawrence J Ruth
RV-10
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Illinois
Experimental 2019-08-16 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N8377P Piper
PA-24-250
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Louisiana
Standard 2019-08-16 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N559P Hubert Gerald E
HUBERT SKYBOLT
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Ohio
Experimental 2018-11-19 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N207DK Kufalk Darrell
VELOCITY XL-RG
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Wisconsin
Experimental 2007-02-08 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.