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

Lycoming IO-540-N1A5

7 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Lycoming IO-540-N1A5 engine, rated at about 260 horsepower. The Piper PA-24 Comanche is the model most often fitted with it (3 aircraft). The aircraft carrying it were built between 1969 and 2024.

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-N1A5. FAA spelling: IO-540-N1A5.

Fitted to model families

Piper PA-24 Comanche3David Wood RK RV-101Sang Woo Lee VANS RV101Staples Leven E RV-101Strasburg Sean T VANS RV-101

Piper PA-24 Comanche · David Wood RK RV-10 · Sang Woo Lee VANS RV10 · Staples Leven E RV-10 · Strasburg Sean T VANS RV-10

Where they are owner's state

Wyoming1Utah1South Dakota1Georgia1Florida1California1

Kind of aircraft

Piston singles7 (100%)

When the aircraft were built by decade

0012211960219702201012020

What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Lycoming IO-540-N1A5 the component layer

The design is held under 1 type certificate (1E4, held by Lycoming Engines). The FAA has issued 31 airworthiness directives (orders that owners must comply with) that name this engine series. Operators and repair shops have filed 2 failure reports with the FAA since 1995, 2 of them in the last ten years.

FAA orders 31 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-N1A5

Failure reports 2 since · what operators and shops told the FAA

00011197105

Parts most often reported as the reports name them

Gear Leg1Tire1

Latest reports

2005-12-12Tire: disintegrated
1997-03-21Gear Leg: 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
Biggest operators
Airworthiness

These connections as data: /graph/engine/lycoming-io-540-n1a5.json · about the eFlight graph.

Aircraft newest certificates first · 7

Tail no.Maker and modelGroupOwner and baseCertificateRegisteredStatus
N90VK Piper
PA-24-260
Fixed-wing, single engine Southern Aircraft Consultancy INC Trustee
Casper, Wyoming
Standard 2026-03-21 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N627S Staples Leven E
RV-10
Fixed-wing, single engine Co-owned owner
California
Experimental 2025-01-27 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N898RV Sang Woo Lee
VANS RV10
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Georgia
Experimental 2024-01-25 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N9414P Piper
PA-24-260
Fixed-wing, single engine Withheld at owner's request
Standard 2023-08-28 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N510RK David Wood
RK RV-10
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Florida
Experimental 2021-12-07 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N9510P Piper
PA-24-260
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
South Dakota
Standard 2016-11-14 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N801VR Strasburg Sean T
VANS RV-10
Fixed-wing, single engine Fixed Wing Aviation LLC
Woods Cross, Utah
Experimental 2011-01-18 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.