Lycoming IO-540 series
4,218 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Lycoming IO-540 series engine, rated at about 300 horsepower. The Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six, Lance and Saratoga is the model most often fitted with it (1,059 aircraft). The aircraft carrying it were built between 1965 and 2026.
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 series (2 codes). FAA spellings: IO-540 SER · IO 540 SER.
Fitted to model families
Model families, as a table
Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six, Lance and Saratoga · Cessna 182 Skylane · Robinson R44 · Piper PA-23 Apache and Aztec · Daher (Socata) TB-20 · Maule M-7 · Cessna 206 Stationair · Piper AEROSTAR 601 · Rockwell International 114 · Commander Aircraft Co 114
Where they are owner's state
Kind of aircraft
By kind, as a table
| aircraft | share | |
|---|---|---|
| Piston singles | 3,503 | 83% |
| Piston twins | 410 | 10% |
| Helicopters | 296 | 7% |
| Turboprops | 9 | 0.2% |
What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Lycoming IO-540 series the component layer
The design is held under 1 type certificate (1E4, held by Lycoming Engines). The FAA has issued 49 airworthiness directives (orders that owners must comply with) that name this engine series. Operators and repair shops have filed 316 failure reports with the FAA since 1995, 17 of them in the last ten years.
FAA orders 49 airworthiness directives · newest first
Failure reports 316 since · what operators and shops told the FAA
Failure reports by year, as a table
| reports | |
|---|---|
| 95 | 3 |
| 96 | 3 |
| 97 | 3 |
| 98 | 4 |
| 99 | 4 |
| 00 | 11 |
| 01 | 37 |
| 02 | 15 |
| 03 | 37 |
| 04 | 34 |
| 05 | 50 |
| 06 | 30 |
| 07 | 19 |
| 08 | 12 |
| 09 | 3 |
| 10 | 12 |
| 11 | 2 |
| 12 | 7 |
| 13 | 5 |
| 14 | 6 |
| 15 | 2 |
| 17 | 1 |
| 19 | 4 |
| 20 | 2 |
| 22 | 2 |
| 23 | 1 |
| 24 | 5 |
| 26 | 2 |
Parts most often reported as the reports name them
Parts most reported, as a table
| reports | |
|---|---|
| Magneto | 19 |
| Cylinder | 10 |
| Bearing | 8 |
| Gasket | 8 |
| Bolt | 7 |
| Boot | 7 |
| Actuator | 6 |
| Line | 6 |
| Pump | 6 |
| Baffle | 5 |
Latest reports
Certificates and bulletins
Safety bulletins 14 · 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
- Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six, Lance and Saratoga 1,059 with this engine series
- Cessna 182 Skylane 978 with this engine series
- Robinson R44 294 with this engine series
- Piper PA-23 Apache and Aztec 175 with this engine series
- Daher (Socata) TB-20 151 with this engine series
- Maule M-7 108 with this engine series
- Cessna 206 Stationair 99 with this engine series
- Piper AEROSTAR 601 84 with this engine series
- Texas 420 of these aircraft
- Florida 398 of these aircraft
- California 295 of these aircraft
- Delaware 218 of these aircraft
- North Carolina 124 of these aircraft
- Civil Air Patrol 55 of these aircraft
- Southern Aircraft Consultancy INC Trustee 20 of these aircraft
- Barr Air Patrol LLC 17 of these aircraft
- International Air Services INC Trustee 16 of these aircraft
- T A F Y Consulting 14 of these aircraft
- FAA orders naming the Lycoming IO-540 series 49 airworthiness directives
- Failure reports on the Lycoming IO-540 series 316 reports since 1995
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/engine/lycoming-io-540-series.json.
Aircraft newest certificates first · 4,218
| Tail no. | Maker and model | Group | Owner and base | Certificate | Registered | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N744AK | Robinson Helicopter R44 II |
Helicopter | Express Helicopters LLC Houston, Texas |
Standard | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes | |
| N7518Q | Robinson Helicopter R44 II |
Helicopter | Fly for Fun LLC Rockville, Maryland |
Standard | Expired dealerFAA registration status code D. All codes | |
| N7530U | Robinson Helicopter R44 II |
Helicopter | Bas Part Sales LLC Greeley, Colorado |
Standard | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes | |
| N77FP | Piper PA-60-602P |
Fixed-wing, multi-engine | Individual owner Wisconsin |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N7893P | Piper PA-24-250 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Bas Part Sales LLC Greeley, Colorado |
Standard | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes | |
| N8247Y | Piper PA-32-301 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Piper Aircraft INC Vero Beach, Florida |
Standard | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes | |
| N829K | Robinson Helicopter R44 II |
Helicopter | Individual owner Arkansas |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N8310Y | Piper PA-32R-301 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Missouri |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N8401B | Piper PA-32R-301 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Kentucky |
Standard | Sale reportedFAA registration status code 7. All codes | |
| N8562P | Piper PA-24-260 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Iowa |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N882SP | Cessna 182S |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner New Mexico |
Standard | CanceledFAA registration status code 20: Registration pending, canceled. All codes | |
| N8981A | Piper PA-32-300 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | American Aircraft Sales LLC Lincolnshire, Illinois |
Standard | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes | |
| N909CQ | Cessna 182T |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Van Bortel Aircraft INC Arlington, Texas |
Standard | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes | |
| N90DD | Piper PA-32-300 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Bas Part Sales LLC Greeley, Colorado |
Standard | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes | |
| N9297C | Piper PA-32-300 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner California |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N932UW | Frieder Kemmann VANS RV-10 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Individual owner Utah |
Experimental | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N944SH | Robinson Helicopter R44 II |
Helicopter | Individual owner Texas |
Standard | PendingFAA registration status code R: Registration pending. All codes | |
| N954K | Piper PA-32R-301 |
Fixed-wing, single engine | Airmart Aircraft Holdings INC Oak Ridge, North Carolina |
Standard | 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 9, 2026. Horsepower and thrust are the FAA's figures for the series, not for a particular aircraft.