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

Lycoming O-540-A1A

4 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Lycoming O-540-A1A engine, rated at about 250 horsepower. The Callahan Ted F Jr BEARHAWK is the model most often fitted with it (1 aircraft). The aircraft carrying it were built between 1958 and 2011.

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-540-A1A. FAA spelling: O-540-A1A.

Fitted to model families

Callahan Ted F Jr BEARHAWK1Lippert Rodney C LIPPERT PA-18 EXPERI1Piper PA-24 Comanche1Russell William L RV-61

Callahan Ted F Jr BEARHAWK · Lippert Rodney C LIPPERT PA-18 EXPERI · Piper PA-24 Comanche · Russell William L RV-6

Where they are owner's state

Washington1Oregon1Mississippi1Indiana1

Kind of aircraft

Piston singles4 (100%)

When the aircraft were built by decade

012231195032010

What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Lycoming O-540-A1A the component layer

The design is held under 1 type certificate (E-295, held by Lycoming Engines). The FAA has issued 21 airworthiness directives (orders that owners must comply with) that name this engine series. Operators and repair shops have filed 3 failure reports with the FAA since 1995, 2 of them in the last ten years.

FAA orders 21 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
2012-10-242012-19-01 · Crankshafts · engine
2012-03-272012-03-07 · Carburetor · engine
2008-10-202008-19-05 · Parallel Valve'' reciprocating engines · engine

All orders naming the Lycoming O-540-A1A

Failure reports 3 since · what operators and shops told the FAA

00011196101106

Parts most often reported as the reports name them

Screw1Stud1Switch1

Latest reports

2006-10-03Screw: failed
2001-07-23Switch: misinstalled
1996-03-26Stud: cracked

Certificates and bulletins

E-295Type certificate held by Lycoming Engines · 47 models listed · revised April 30, 2013

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
Airworthiness

These connections as data: /graph/engine/lycoming-o-540-a1a.json · about the eFlight graph.

Aircraft newest certificates first · 4

Tail no.Maker and modelGroupOwner and baseCertificateRegisteredStatus
N962TD Callahan Ted F Jr
BEARHAWK
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Washington
Experimental 2015-10-16 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N540RF Russell William L
RV-6
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Indiana
Experimental 2014-03-12 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N1645D Lippert Rodney C
LIPPERT PA-18 EXPERI
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Oregon
Experimental 2011-04-26 ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes
N1901P Piper
PA-24-250
Fixed-wing, single engine Individual owner
Mississippi
Standard 2011-04-18 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.