Engines · piston (reciprocating) · data as of October 8, 2026

Lycoming O-235 series

6,134 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Lycoming O-235 series engine, rated at about 115 horsepower. The Cessna 152 is the model most often fitted with it (1,545 aircraft). The aircraft carrying it were built between 1945 and 2025.

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 O-235 series. FAA spelling: 0-235 SERIES.

Fitted to model families

Model families, as a table

	aircraft
Cessna 152	1,545
Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser	878
Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer and Colt	552
Piper PA-38 Tomahawk	409
Bellanca 7 Citabria	318
Champion 7 Citabria and Champ	311
Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-1 Yankee and Trainer	305
Piper PA-16 Clipper	252
American Aviation AA-1	198
American AA-1	165
Piper PA-18 Super Cub	165
Beechcraft 77 Skipper	106

Cessna 152 · Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser · Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer and Colt · Piper PA-38 Tomahawk · Bellanca 7 Citabria · Champion 7 Citabria and Champ · Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-1 Yankee and Trainer · Piper PA-16 Clipper · American Aviation AA-1 · American AA-1

Where they are owner's state

Texas571California547Florida484Alaska383Washington217Minnesota186North Carolina185Michigan180Oregon179New York166

By state, as a table

	aircraft
Texas	571
California	547
Florida	484
Alaska	383
Washington	217
Minnesota	186
North Carolina	185
Michigan	180
Oregon	179
New York	166

Kind of aircraft

Piston singles6,132 (100%)Helicopters1 (0.0%)Gliders1 (0.0%)

By kind, as a table

	aircraft	share
Piston singles	6,132	100%
Helicopters	1	0.0%
Gliders	1	0.0%

When the aircraft were built by decade

By decade built, as a table

	aircraft
1930	4
1940	1,107
1950	157
1960	759
1970	2,138
1980	668
1990	159
2000	72
2010	16
2020	4

What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Lycoming O-235 series the component layer

The design is held under 1 type certificate (E-223, held by Lycoming Engines). The FAA has issued 13 airworthiness directives (orders that owners must comply with) that name this engine series. Operators and repair shops have filed 20 failure reports with the FAA since 1995, 3 of them in the last ten years.

FAA orders 13 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

2022-08-152022-16-03 · Engine (RECIPROCATING) · engine

2012-03-272012-03-07 · Carburetor · engine

2004-06-252004-10-14 · Crankshaft gear · engine

All orders naming the Lycoming O-235 series

Failure reports 20 since · what operators and shops told the FAA

Failure reports by year, as a table

	reports
98	9
99	2
00	3
02	2
03	1
09	1
10	1
17	1

Parts most often reported as the reports name them

Axle6Cylinder4Fork2Spark Plug2Balance Weight1Coil1Pin1Plug1Support1Tube1

Parts most reported, as a table

	reports
Axle	6
Cylinder	4
Fork	2
Spark Plug	2
Balance Weight	1
Coil	1
Pin	1
Plug	1
Support	1
Tube	1

Latest reports

2017-07-03Coil: failed

2010-02-12Support: misinstalled

2009-05-24Spark Plug: broken

2003-12-05Spark Plug: worn

2002-11-21Cylinder: cracked

Certificates and bulletins

E-223Type certificate held by Lycoming Engines · 43 models listed · revised January 31, 2020

Safety bulletins 4 · advice, not orders

2019-05-02NE-19-08 · Reciprocating Engine Cylinder Section - Lycoming Engines Parallel Valve Cylinders

2014-03-24NE-14-13 · Reciprocating Engine - Cylinder Mounting Studs

2008-09-10NE-06-32R1 · Reciprocating Engine - Crankshaft

2005-09-30NE-05-89 ·

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

Cessna 152 1,545 with this engine series
Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser 878 with this engine series
Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer and Colt 552 with this engine series
Piper PA-38 Tomahawk 409 with this engine series
Bellanca 7 Citabria 318 with this engine series
Champion 7 Citabria and Champ 311 with this engine series
Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-1 Yankee and Trainer 305 with this engine series
Piper PA-16 Clipper 252 with this engine series

Where they are

Texas 571 of these aircraft
California 547 of these aircraft
Florida 484 of these aircraft
Alaska 383 of these aircraft
Washington 217 of these aircraft

Biggest operators

Wings Over Texas Holdings LLC 52 of these aircraft
Hillsboro Aero Academy LLC 42 of these aircraft
Sunrise Aviation INC 36 of these aircraft
Piper Aircraft INC 16 of these aircraft
Pea-Wayman Flight LLC 14 of these aircraft

Airworthiness

FAA orders naming the Lycoming O-235 series 13 airworthiness directives
Failure reports on the Lycoming O-235 series 20 reports since 1995

Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/engine/lycoming-o-235-series.json.

Aircraft newest certificates first · 6,134

Tail no.	Maker and model	Group	Owner and base	Certificate	Registered	Status
N273EZ	Guthrie Michael A &Pamela J VARIEZE	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alabama	Experimental	2012-08-16	Valid
N57410	Bellanca 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	2012-08-16	Valid
N78492	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alaska	Standard	2012-08-16	Valid
N166DB	Champion 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2012-08-15	Valid
N24831	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2012-08-15	Valid
N67381	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Minnesota	Standard	2012-08-15	Valid
N3453M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2012-08-13	Valid
N6516H	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2012-08-09	Valid
N5377Z	Piper PA-22-108	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	2012-08-06	Valid
N67292	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2012-08-06	Valid
N295JF	Faulkner John A LONG EZ	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Experimental	2012-07-31	Valid
N48938	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	International Flying Club INC Winfield, Illinois	Standard	2012-07-31	Valid
N93264	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2012-07-30	Valid
N98606	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Hampshire	Standard	2012-07-26	Valid
N5943L	American AA-1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2012-07-25	Valid
N4023M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2012-07-19	Valid
N9074L	Champion 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2012-07-19	Valid
N6312N	Champion 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	2012-07-18	Valid
N67384	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Flying Twenties INC San Jose, California	Standard	2012-07-18	Valid
N70139	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Plyler Aviation LP Sherman, Texas	Restricted	2012-07-18	Valid
N4869L	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Central Texas College Killeen, Texas	Standard	2012-07-16	Valid
N6503M	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Central Texas College Killeen, Texas	Standard	2012-07-16	Valid
N3957M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2012-06-29	Valid
N81ES	Powell Tom VARIEZE	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Experimental	2012-06-28	Valid
N1602G	Champion 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Maryland	Standard	2012-06-27	Valid
N1660G	Champion 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Minnesota	Standard	2012-06-26	Valid
N2469K	Piper PA-38-112	Fixed-wing, single engine	Pilot Ready LLC Lime Springs, Iowa	Standard	2012-06-26	Valid
N249KJ	Brimmer Kenneth R COZY 3 PLACE	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Maryland	Experimental	2012-06-25	Valid
N9376L	American Aviation AA-1A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nebraska	Standard	2012-06-20	Valid
N210NG	Peoples Joseph M LONG EZ	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Virginia	Experimental	2012-06-19	Valid
N6406H	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Florida	Standard	2012-06-19	Valid
N92296	Zenair Ltd CH 2000	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2012-06-15	Valid
N542L	Levy PL-2-130	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Experimental	2012-06-13	Valid
N4726B	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Maryland	Standard	2012-06-12	Valid
N49862	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	California In Nice INC San Jose, California	Standard	2012-06-08	Valid
N6203L	American AA-1B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	2012-05-25	Valid
N6210Q	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Not for Naught LLC Wimberley, Texas	Standard	2012-05-25	Valid
N5199T	Champion 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2012-05-23	Valid
N5881H	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	2012-05-23	Valid
N171E	Owen TAILWIND	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Experimental	2012-05-22	Valid
N78442	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Idaho	Standard	2012-05-22	Valid
N2489N	Piper PA-38-112	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Massachusetts	Standard	2012-05-21	Valid
N48637	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	K S Aviation Atwater, California	Standard	2012-05-21	Valid
N5680H	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2012-05-21	Valid
N9925L	Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-1B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Missouri	Standard	2012-05-17	Valid
N2682M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	2012-05-16	Valid
N6526L	Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-1B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2012-05-16	Valid
N757JY	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Standard	2012-05-16	Valid
N91315	Piper PA-38-112	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Louisiana	Standard	2012-05-16	Valid
N2758M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2012-05-15	Valid
N80690	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Flight Foundation Unicoi, Tennessee	Standard	2012-05-15	Valid
N24315	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Cubicle Concepts INC New Holland, Pennsylvania	Standard	2012-05-14	Valid
N65582	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2012-05-08	Valid
N8523P	Piper PA-18-150	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2012-05-08	Valid
N49994	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Mdr Rental CORP Ann Arbor, Michigan	Standard	2012-05-03	Valid
N2591G	Piper PA-38-112	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nevada	Standard	2012-05-01	Valid
N6YE	Eaa Aviation Foundation Inc RV-6A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Experimental Aircraft Association INC Oshkosh, Wisconsin	Experimental	2012-04-27	Valid
N69149	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2012-04-26	Valid
N91908	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2012-04-24	Valid
N4718A	Cessna A152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oklahoma	Standard	2012-04-18	Valid
N714YW	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Hiflite LLC Athens, Alabama	Standard	2012-04-18	Valid
N2043H	Champion 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Mont Belvieu Materials INC Mont Belvieu, Texas	Standard	2012-04-14	Valid
N5417Z	Piper PA-22-108	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2012-04-12	Valid
N6262Q	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2012-04-11	Valid
N67787	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Williams Aviation LLC Maumelle, Arkansas	Standard	2012-04-10	Valid
N25DB	Burt Donald R LANCAIR 235	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Experimental	2012-04-05	Valid
N48924	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Tennessee	Standard	2012-04-04	Valid
N6388L	American Aviation AA-1A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Marlette Aviation INC Marlette, Michigan	Standard	2012-04-03	Valid
N5255Z	Piper PA-22-108	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2012-04-02	Valid
N9894L	Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-1B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	2012-04-02	Valid
N7152K	Piper PA-18	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	2012-03-29	Valid
N5991H	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	2012-03-27	Valid
N6219A	Piper PA-38-112	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	2012-03-27	Valid
N2569F	Champion 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	2012-03-26	Valid
N92582	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	2012-03-26	Valid
N69213	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Weedhopper Aviation LLC Sparks, Nevada	Standard	2012-03-22	Valid
N2146M	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	2012-03-21	Valid
N5760H	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Kansas	Standard	2012-03-20	Valid
N857AC	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Toedtli Bryan S Vancouver, Washington	Standard	2012-03-20	Valid
N4333M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alaska	Standard	2012-03-19	Valid
N5927L	American AA-1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Tri State Airmotive LLC Berryville, Arkansas	Standard	2012-03-19	Valid
N800VH	Aircraft Mfg & Development Co CH 2000	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	2012-03-19	Valid
N68742	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Mississippi	Standard	2012-03-12	Valid
N714YX	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Lone Star Aero INC Fort Worth, Texas	Standard	2012-03-08	Valid
N2439M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Withheld at owner's request	Standard	2012-03-06	Valid
N4960Z	Piper PA-22-108	Fixed-wing, single engine	Teterboro School of Aeronautics INC Virginia Beach, Virginia	Standard	2012-02-29	Valid
N2326E	Piper PA-38-112	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Colorado	Standard	2012-02-28	Valid
N2692M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	2012-02-24	Valid
N78481	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Canoe Bay Outfitters LLC Chugiak, Alaska	Standard	2012-02-22	Valid
N5563Z	Piper PA-22-108	Fixed-wing, single engine	Teterboro School of Aeronautics INC Virginia Beach, Virginia	Standard	2012-02-21	Valid
N3764M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	2012-02-16	Valid
N49005	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Sunrise Aviation INC Ormond Beach, Florida	Standard	2012-02-15	Valid
N2417G	Piper PA-38-112	Fixed-wing, single engine	Del-Sky LLC Dilliner, Pennsylvania	Standard	2012-02-14	Valid
N5702H	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Massachusetts	Standard	2012-02-14	Valid
N5731Z	Piper PA-22-108	Fixed-wing, single engine	Teterboro School of Aeronautics INC Virginia Beach, Virginia	Standard	2012-02-14	Valid
N8055W	Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-1C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Virginia	Standard	2012-02-14	Valid
N5497Z	Piper PA-22-108	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Idaho	Standard	2012-02-07	Valid
N4030M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	2012-02-06	Valid
N5785L	American AA-1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	2012-02-06	Valid
N3726B	Beech 77	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Iowa	Standard	2012-02-03	Valid

Source: FAA Civil Aviation Registry, Releasable Aircraft Database (the engine reference table and each aircraft's engine code), October 8, 2026. Horsepower and thrust are the FAA's figures for the series, not for a particular aircraft.