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

Lycoming O-540-A4C5

1 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Lycoming O-540-A4C5 engine, rated at about 250 horsepower. The Britten-Norman BN-2 is the model most often fitted with it (1 aircraft).

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-A4C5. FAA spelling: O-540-A4C5.

Fitted to model families

Britten-Norman BN-21

Britten-Norman BN-2

Where they are owner's state

Rhode Island1

Kind of aircraft

Piston twins1 (100%)

What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Lycoming O-540-A4C5 the component layer

The design is held under 1 type certificate (E-295, held by Lycoming Engines). The FAA has issued 18 airworthiness directives (orders that owners must comply with) that name this engine series. Operators and repair shops have filed 1 failure report with the FAA since 1995, 1 of them in the last ten years.

FAA orders 18 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-A4C5

Failure reports 1 since · what operators and shops told the FAA

00011114

Parts most often reported as the reports name them

Reinforcement1

Latest reports

2014-11-04Reinforcement: 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
Biggest operators
Airworthiness

These connections as data: /graph/engine/lycoming-o-540-a4c5.json · about the eFlight graph.

Aircraft newest certificates first · 1

Tail no.Maker and modelGroupOwner and baseCertificateRegisteredStatus
N880GL Britten-Norman
BN2A-26 ISLANDER
Fixed-wing, multi-engine New England Airlines INC
Westerly, Rhode Island
Standard 2024-01-04 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.