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
N5749Z	Piper PA-22-108	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	1982-10-01	Valid
N93529	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Richmor Aviation INC Hudson, New York	Standard	1982-09-27	Valid
N506D	Kolstad David L VARIEZE	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Experimental	1982-06-16	Valid
N93239	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Minuteman Aviation INC Missoula, Montana	Standard	1982-06-15	Valid
N67708	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	1982-04-21	Valid
N2300	Stolp Starlet SA5OOL	Fixed-wing, single engine	Eaa Aviation Foundation Oshkosh, Wisconsin	Experimental	1982-04-20	Valid
N5516L	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	1982-03-17	Valid
N3772Z	Piper PA-18-150	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	1982-03-16	Valid
N81JG	Greaves John P Jr VARIEZE	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Experimental	1982-01-19	Valid
N6141L	American AA-1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	1982-01-15	Valid
N6460L	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Richmor Aviation INC Scotia, New York	Standard	1982-01-11	Valid
N1336B	Luscombe 8A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	1981-12-17	Valid
N4262M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	1981-10-26	Valid
N36140	Bellanca 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	1981-09-01	Valid
N86813	Bellanca 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	1981-09-01	Valid
N11720	Bellanca 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Iowa	Experimental	1981-08-10	Valid
N2518F	Champion 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Colorado	Standard	1981-08-06	Valid
N3752M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	1981-06-25	Valid
N4955Z	Piper PA-22-108	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Jersey	Standard	1981-06-12	Valid
N4038H	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	1981-06-04	Valid
N5838H	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	1981-04-02	Valid
N4483M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alaska	Standard	1981-01-23	Valid
N41820	Bellanca 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Ohio	Standard	1981-01-05	Valid
N48779	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Illinois	Standard	1980-11-07	Valid
N6458L	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Central Texas College Killeen, Texas	Standard	1980-11-04	Valid
N5508M	Bellanca 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Dakota	Standard	1980-11-03	Valid
N65506	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	1980-10-30	Valid
N67582	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Maryland	Standard	1980-10-14	Valid
N5170X	Champion 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	1980-09-11	Valid
N88196	Bellanca 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	1980-07-30	Valid
N7643H	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	1980-06-19	Valid
N4886M	Piper PA-11	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Colorado	Standard	1980-05-02	Valid
N20RP	Pash Rand O PITTS S1S	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Iowa	Experimental	1980-05-01	Valid
N968MS	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Mount San Antonio College Associated Walnut, California	Standard	1980-03-20	Valid
N3129M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	1980-02-28	Valid
N5388H	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	1980-02-05	Valid
N6836K	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	1980-01-26	Valid
N5101H	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Aberdeen Flying Service Aberkeen, South Dakota	Standard	1980-01-17	Valid
N4777H	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Morey Airplane CO INC Middleton, Wisconsin	Standard	1979-12-27	Valid
N9946U	Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-1C	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Missouri	Standard	1979-12-05	Valid
N4750Z	Piper PA-22-108	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	1979-11-29	Valid
N3902M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Texas	Standard	1979-11-26	Valid
N75PL	Thomas PAZMANY PL-2	Fixed-wing, single engine	Mccombs John W Fairfax, Virginia	Experimental	1979-10-16	Valid
N4901M	Piper PA-11	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	1979-10-11	Valid
N5404B	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Richmor Aviation INC Hudson, New York	Standard	1979-10-05	Valid
N9980L	Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-1B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	1979-09-25	Valid
N6807K	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Minnesota	Standard	1979-07-12	Valid
N68184	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Wichita Area Technical School Wichita, Kansas	Standard	1979-04-25	Valid
N5819H	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	1979-03-26	Valid
N65609	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Indiana	Standard	1978-12-27	Valid
N65495	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Circle W Flying Club INC Creighton, Pennsylvania	Standard	1978-11-14	Valid
N70739	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Morey Airplane CO INC Middleton, Wisconsin	Standard	1978-11-14	Valid
N2545M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	1978-10-25	Valid
N9676L	Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-1B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Rhode Island	Standard	1978-09-26	Valid
N4423M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Barts Flying Service INC Storm Lake, Iowa	Standard	1978-09-15	Valid
N68195	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Richmor Aviation INC Scotia, New York	Standard	1978-09-15	Valid
N35409	Piper J5A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alaska	Standard	1978-08-24	Valid
N7537K	Piper PA-18	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Dakota	Restricted	1978-02-13	Valid
N27HS	Schooler JUNIOR ACE	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Experimental	1978-02-10	Valid
N9644L	Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-1B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	1978-01-30	Valid
N6505H	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	1978-01-10	Valid
N4ZZ	Swain VARIEZE	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Experimental	1977-08-10	Valid
N757UR	Cessna 152	Fixed-wing, single engine	Richmor Aviation INC Hudson, New York	Standard	1977-08-08	Valid
N5214H	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Vagabond Flight Corporation Decatur, Illinois	Standard	1977-08-05	Valid
N211WK	Kelley STARLET	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Experimental	1977-07-22	Valid
N2773M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	1977-06-06	Valid
N5958H	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	1977-05-31	Valid
N55AH	Hancock BREEZY RLU-1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Experimental	1977-01-26	Valid
N9301L	American Aviation AA-1A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	1976-09-28	Valid
N311E	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	1976-07-26	Valid
N2869G	Champion 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Jersey	Standard	1976-06-08	Valid
N4596Z	Piper PA-22-108	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Jersey	Standard	1976-03-19	Valid
N81878	Aeronca 7AC	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Hampshire	Restricted	1975-11-10	Valid
N24905	Piper J3C-65	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Kansas	Restricted	1975-08-07	Valid
N4249M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	1975-06-24	Valid
N3199M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	1975-06-09	Valid
N3312M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Standard	1975-04-19	Valid
N5786H	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	1975-04-18	Valid
N4697Z	Piper PA-22-108	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Virginia	Standard	1975-03-01	Valid
N5150H	Piper PA-14	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Alaska	Standard	1975-02-07	Valid
N6434L	American Aviation AA-1A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	1975-02-03	Valid
N4687M	Piper PA-11	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Nebraska	Restricted	1974-12-30	Valid
N4966Z	Piper PA-22-108	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wyoming	Standard	1974-12-20	Valid
N4339M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Connecticut	Standard	1974-09-16	Valid
N8858L	Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-1B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Redro INC Owatonna, Minnesota	Standard	1974-08-21	Valid
N9900L	Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-1B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	1974-07-16	Valid
N5642H	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Carolina	Standard	1974-05-09	Valid
N5566Z	Piper PA-22-108	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	1973-09-18	Valid
N2513	Cougar 1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Experimental	1973-09-14	Revoked
N137T	Piper PA-18 105	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	1973-09-13	Valid
N5813H	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alaska	Standard	1973-08-17	Valid
N5725H	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Wisconsin	Standard	1973-05-04	Valid
N5768H	Piper PA-16	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	1972-12-05	Valid
N3470M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Colorado	Standard	1972-11-03	Valid
N5181T	Champion 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	1972-06-06	Valid
N2746M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	1972-06-02	Valid
N372FT	Bellanca 7ECA	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	1972-04-12	Valid
N3310M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	1971-06-26	Valid
N2J	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	1969-08-15	Valid
N2898M	Piper PA-12	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	1969-08-07	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.