Lycoming IO-540-E1A5
4 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Lycoming IO-540-E1A5 engine, rated at about 290 horsepower. The Aero Commander 500 is the model most often fitted with it (3 aircraft). The aircraft carrying it were built between 1961 and 2013.
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-E1A5. FAA spelling: IO-540-E1A5.
Fuel: 100LL avgas.
Fitted to model families
Model families, as a table
| aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Aero Commander 500 | 3 |
| Ellzey Andrew James VELOCITY XL-RG | 1 |
Aero Commander 500 · Ellzey Andrew James VELOCITY XL-RG
Where they are owner's state
Kind of aircraft
By kind, as a table
| aircraft | share | |
|---|---|---|
| Piston twins | 3 | 75% |
| Piston singles | 1 | 25% |
What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Lycoming IO-540-E1A5 the component layer
The design is held under 1 type certificate (1E4, held by Lycoming Engines). The FAA has issued 37 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, 11 of them in the last ten years.
FAA orders 37 airworthiness directives · newest first
Failure reports 38 since · what operators and shops told the FAA
Failure reports by year, as a table
| reports | |
|---|---|
| 96 | 2 |
| 97 | 1 |
| 98 | 1 |
| 99 | 3 |
| 00 | 11 |
| 01 | 2 |
| 02 | 2 |
| 04 | 4 |
| 05 | 1 |
| 06 | 2 |
| 07 | 4 |
| 09 | 1 |
| 12 | 2 |
| 15 | 2 |
Parts most often reported as the reports name them
Parts most reported, as a table
| reports | |
|---|---|
| Cylinder | 7 |
| Wire | 4 |
| Bracket | 3 |
| Nut | 3 |
| Stud | 3 |
| Rod Bolt | 2 |
| Camshaft | 1 |
| Cap | 1 |
| Capacitor | 1 |
| Control Box | 1 |
Latest reports
Approved replacement parts 34 parts manufacturer approvals
Parts a company other than the maker may make for this engine and sell as FAA-approved. The companies holding the most:
Most often: harness (10), shaft (4), gear (4), stud (3), distributor valve (3), magneto (2), valve cover (1), valve (1), rotor gear (1), retainer (1).
Certificates and bulletins
Safety bulletins 6 · 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
- Aero Commander 500 3 with this engine series
- Central Airlines INC 1 of these aircraft
- FAA orders naming the Lycoming IO-540-E1A5 37 airworthiness directives
- Failure reports on the Lycoming IO-540-E1A5 38 reports since 1995
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/engine/lycoming-io-540-e1a5.json.
Aircraft newest certificates first · 4
| Tail no. | Maker and model | Group | Owner and base | Certificate | Registered | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N520DR | Aero Commander 500-B |
Fixed-wing, multi-engine | Dmgf LLC Bertram, Texas |
Special flight permit | 2019-12-18 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N151AJ | Ellzey Andrew James VELOCITY XL-RG |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Arkansas |
Experimental | 2009-08-03 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N713SP | Aero Commander 500-B |
Fixed-wing, multi-engine | Central Airlines INC Leawood, Kansas |
Standard | 1979-04-25 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N346UD | Aero Commander 500-B |
Fixed-wing, multi-engine | Jack W Berry and Associates INC Peachtree City, Georgia |
Standard | 1971-09-29 | 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), November 10, 2026. Horsepower and thrust are the FAA's figures for the series, not for a particular aircraft.