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

Pratt & Whitney R-985 series

1,594 aircraft on the U.S. register carry a Pratt & Whitney R-985 series engine, rated at about 450 horsepower. The Boeing A75 Stearman Kaydet is the model most often fitted with it (236 aircraft). The aircraft carrying it were built between 1929 and 2013.

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 Pratt & Whitney R-985 series. FAA spelling: R-985 SERIES.

Fitted to model families

Model families, as a table

	aircraft
Boeing A75 Stearman Kaydet	236
Dehavilland DHC-2	133
Beechcraft D17	106
Boeing E75 Stearman Kaydet	105
Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164	98
Howard Aircraft DGA-15	72
Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2 MK.1	65
Naval Aircraft Factory N3	53
Consolidated Vultee BT-13	53
Beechcraft E18	51
Beechcraft C-45	49
Boeing B75 Stearman Kaydet	48

Boeing A75 Stearman Kaydet · Dehavilland DHC-2 · Beechcraft D17 · Boeing E75 Stearman Kaydet · Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164 · Howard Aircraft DGA-15 · Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2 MK.1 · Naval Aircraft Factory N3 · Consolidated Vultee BT-13 · Beechcraft E18

Where they are owner's state

Alaska161Texas158California146Washington85Florida66Delaware62Minnesota49Oregon40Missouri39Colorado38

By state, as a table

	aircraft
Alaska	161
Texas	158
California	146
Washington	85
Florida	66
Delaware	62
Minnesota	49
Oregon	40
Missouri	39
Colorado	38

Kind of aircraft

Piston singles1,291 (81%)Piston twins262 (16%)Turboprops40 (3%)Helicopters1 (0.1%)

By kind, as a table

	aircraft	share
Piston singles	1,291	81%
Piston twins	262	16%
Turboprops	40	3%
Helicopters	1	0.1%

When the aircraft were built by decade

By decade built, as a table

	aircraft
1920	13
1930	63
1940	622
1950	318
1960	114
1970	105
1980	10
1990	33
2000	6
2010	2

What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Pratt & Whitney R-985 series the component layer

No FAA order in the current files names this engine series. Operators and repair shops have filed 80 failure reports with the FAA since 1995, 23 of them in the last ten years.

Failure reports 80 since · what operators and shops told the FAA

Failure reports by year, as a table

	reports
95	3
96	2
97	3
98	1
99	4
00	2
01	6
02	8
03	5
04	7
05	6
06	3
07	7
08	2
09	5
10	3
11	2
12	2
13	2
14	2
15	2
16	1
17	2

Parts most often reported as the reports name them

Cylinder8Engine6Bulkhead3Piston3Pump3Spar3Bearing2Bolt2Carburetor2Control Cable2

Parts most reported, as a table

	reports
Cylinder	8
Engine	6
Bulkhead	3
Piston	3
Pump	3
Spar	3
Bearing	2
Bolt	2
Carburetor	2
Control Cable	2

Latest reports

2017-10-06Bearing: failed

2017-07-20Drag Link: damaged

2016-07-20Pushrod: broken

2015-08-18Fitting: corroded

2015-04-03Balance Weight: loose

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

Boeing A75 Stearman Kaydet 236 with this engine series
Dehavilland DHC-2 133 with this engine series
Beechcraft D17 106 with this engine series
Boeing E75 Stearman Kaydet 105 with this engine series
Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164 98 with this engine series
Howard Aircraft DGA-15 72 with this engine series
Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2 MK.1 65 with this engine series
Naval Aircraft Factory N3 53 with this engine series

Where they are

Alaska 161 of these aircraft
Texas 158 of these aircraft
California 146 of these aircraft
Washington 85 of these aircraft
Florida 66 of these aircraft

Biggest operators

Mid Continent Aircraft CORP 14 of these aircraft
Plane Fun INC Tr Trustee 9 of these aircraft
International Air Services INC Trustee 9 of these aircraft
Southern Aircraft Consultancy INC Trustee 7 of these aircraft
Eastern Stearman INC Trustee 7 of these aircraft

Airworthiness

Failure reports on the Pratt & Whitney R-985 series 80 reports since 1995

Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/engine/pratt-whitney-r-985-series.json.

Aircraft newest certificates first · 1,594

Tail no.	Maker and model	Group	Owner and base	Certificate	Registered	Status
N30PD	Dehavilland DHC-2	Fixed-wing, single engine	Powell Aviation LLC Bellevue, Washington	Standard	1999-07-27	Valid
N21934	Beech G17S	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	1999-07-08	Valid
N146CM	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	1999-06-11	Valid
N711ZZ	Beech D17S	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	1999-06-10	Valid
N5150N	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Dakota	Restricted	1999-05-27	Valid
N67929	Beech C18S	Fixed-wing, multi-engine	Individual owner New Hampshire	Standard	1999-05-18	Valid
N45053	Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New York	Standard	1999-04-15	Valid
N985JD	Doggett Jack SAMSON	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Experimental	1999-04-12	Valid
N59249	Boeing A75N1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Minnesota	Restricted	1999-02-03	Valid
N7783C	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	1999-01-27	Valid
N4768V	Boeing E75	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Restricted	1999-01-25	Valid
N28S	Dehavilland DHC-2 MK. I(L20A)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Gbh Aviation Santa Monica, California	Standard	1998-12-23	Valid
N1944B	Beech G17S	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Oregon	Standard	1998-11-16	Valid
N39767	Boeing A75	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Restricted	1998-11-14	Valid
N4564N	Boeing A75	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Restricted	1998-11-10	Valid
N450DM	Dehavilland DHC-2	Fixed-wing, single engine	Barnstorm Aviation INC Jacksonville, Florida	Standard	1998-09-10	Valid
N121KT	Dehavilland DHC-2 MK. I(L20A)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Rustair INC Anchorage, Alaska	Standard	1998-08-19	Valid
N6V	Born Again Restorations S-38B	Fixed-wing, multi-engine	S C Johnson & Son INC Racine, Wisconsin	Experimental	1998-08-12	Valid
N5349G	Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2 MK.1	Fixed-wing, single engine	49 Golf LLC Tigard, Oregon	Restricted	1998-08-10	Valid
N360H	Beech H-18	Fixed-wing, multi-engine	S Dacy Enterprises INC Harvard, Illinois	Standard	1998-08-03	Valid
N241D	Beech C-45H	Fixed-wing, multi-engine	Barron Aviation LLC Perry, Missouri	Standard	1998-06-01	Valid
N58969	Boeing A75L3	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Florida	Standard	1998-05-07	Valid
N266TS	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Cliff Robinson Real Estate CORP Madison, Indiana	Standard	1998-05-06	Valid
N102SA	Beech E18S	Fixed-wing, multi-engine	Kestrel INC West Des Moines, Iowa	Standard	1998-04-30	Valid
N2369Q	Waco UPF-7	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner New Mexico	Experimental	1998-04-30	Valid
N61432	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Recon Real Estate Consultants INC El Paso, Texas	Standard	1998-04-29	Valid
N167ZA	Beech C-45H	Fixed-wing, multi-engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	1998-04-11	Valid
N269AW	Dehavilland DHC-2	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Alaska	Standard	1998-04-02	Valid
N65F	Fairchild F-45	Fixed-wing, single engine	Yellowstone Aviation INC Jackson, Wyoming	Standard	1998-02-21	Valid
N590RS	Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2 MK.1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Randys Olde Towne Service INC Traverse City, Michigan	Standard	1998-02-13	Valid
N6719Q	Schweizer Aircraft Corp G-164B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Dakota	Restricted	1997-11-21	Valid
N1560M	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Restricted	1997-11-04	Valid
N52772	Boeing B75N1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Restricted	1997-11-04	Valid
N1335M	Howard Aircraft DGA-15P	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	1997-10-28	Valid
N63JB	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Stella Air INC Wyoming, Pennsylvania	Standard	1997-09-22	Valid
N546R	Lerille Red P & W 1937	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Louisiana	Experimental	1997-07-29	Valid
N985L	French Larry A LION HEART	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Experimental	1997-07-18	Valid
N49286	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	1997-06-13	Valid
N65782	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Kansas	Standard	1997-05-29	Valid
N372PS	Beech H-18	Fixed-wing, multi-engine	Db Aero INC Wilmington, Delaware	Standard	1997-05-20	Valid
N741DB	Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2	Fixed-wing, single engine	Associated Leasing LLC Everett, Washington	Standard	1997-05-14	Valid
N1715M	Boeing E75	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Restricted	1997-05-08	Valid
N243A	Dehavilland DHC-2	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Arizona	Standard	1997-05-08	Valid
N69176	Boeing B75N1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Restricted	1997-04-10	Valid
N61063	Consolidated Vultee BT-13B (SNV-2)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Standard	1997-01-27	Valid
N420E	Beech D17S	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	1996-11-15	Valid
N65047	Howard Aircraft DGA-15P	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Standard	1996-11-15	Valid
N6720Q	Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Mike Jones Flying Service INC Monroe, Louisiana	Restricted	1996-11-08	Valid
N44738	Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Restricted	1996-08-06	Valid
N45024	Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Restricted	1996-08-06	Valid
N51746	Beech D17S	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Standard	1996-08-06	Valid
N48489	Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner South Carolina	Restricted	1996-07-02	Valid
N113CB	Dehavilland DHC-2	Fixed-wing, single engine	C and P Aviation INC Blaine, Minnesota	Standard	1996-05-30	Valid
N57270	Boeing D75N1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Texas	Restricted	1996-03-11	Valid
N44718	Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3	Fixed-wing, single engine	Mid Atlantic Air Museum Reading, Pennsylvania	Standard	1996-03-09	Valid
N69056	Boeing IB75A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Restricted	1996-03-07	Valid
N18SE	Beech E18S	Fixed-wing, multi-engine	Shores AG Air INC Robstown, Texas	Standard	1996-02-06	Valid
N5346	Grumman G-164A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Lanier Flying Service INC Madison, Alabama	Restricted	1996-01-26	Valid
N349DC	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Illinois	Standard	1995-11-30	Valid
N189R	Beech C-45H	Fixed-wing, multi-engine	Co-owned owner Vermont	Standard	1995-09-13	Valid
N904AK	Dehavilland DHC-2 MK. I(L20A)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Usda Forest Service Fepp Palmer, Alaska	Standard	1995-09-09	Valid
N8389H	Beech C-45G	Fixed-wing, multi-engine	Poplar Grove Airmotive INC Poplar Grove, Illinois	Standard	1995-09-08	Valid
N1715B	Boeing A75	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Tennessee	Standard	1995-07-28	Valid
N8953H	Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner North Dakota	Restricted	1995-07-20	Valid
N64463	Beech C18S	Fixed-wing, multi-engine	Air Combat Museum Springfield, Illinois	Standard	1995-05-01	Valid
N10211	Grumman G-164	Fixed-wing, single engine	Valley Air Service LTD Colusa, California	Restricted	1995-04-05	Valid
N49323	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Restricted	1995-02-15	Valid
N49647	Boeing IB75A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Washington	Restricted	1995-02-15	Valid
N5001V	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Washington	Experimental	1995-02-15	Valid
N53180	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Washington	Restricted	1995-02-15	Valid
N64090	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Johnson Lawrence F Colville, Washington	Restricted	1995-02-15	Valid
N75694	Boeing E75N1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Washington	Restricted	1995-02-15	Valid
N213BB	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	S Dacy Enterprises INC Harvard, Illinois	Experimental	1995-02-04	Valid
N44744	Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Restricted	1995-01-04	Valid
N700PF	Metzger James PARADISE FLYR SEA CT	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Idaho	Experimental	1994-12-02	Valid
N6047V	Beech C18S	Fixed-wing, multi-engine	Individual owner Minnesota	Standard	1994-10-07	Valid
N68088	Dehavilland BEAVER U-6A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Iliamna Air Taxi INC Iliamna, Alaska	Restricted	1994-07-18	Valid
N31618	Dehavilland BEAVER U-6A	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Washington	Standard	1994-07-15	Valid
N378BD	Dehavilland DHC-2 MK. I(L20A)	Fixed-wing, single engine	C D S Aircraft INC Seattle, Washington	Standard	1994-07-13	Valid
N5220G	Dehavilland BEAVER DHC-2 MK.1	Fixed-wing, single engine	San Francisco Seaplane Tours INC Mill Valley, California	Standard	1994-07-13	Valid
N9290H	Beech D17S	Fixed-wing, single engine	Delta Enterprise Brighton, Colorado	Restricted	1994-06-10	Valid
N62355	Dehavilland DHC-2 MK. I(L20A)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Ward Air INC Juneau, Alaska	Standard	1994-05-10	Valid
N144NB	Beech E18S	Fixed-wing, multi-engine	Individual owner Alabama	Standard	1994-04-28	Valid
N9041R	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Montana	Standard	1994-04-21	Valid
N4451N	Boeing E75	Fixed-wing, single engine	Northland Airparts INC Clara City, Minnesota	Restricted	1994-04-05	Valid
N211JM	Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164B	Fixed-wing, single engine	Sanderson Grain INC Springlake, Texas	Restricted	1994-03-11	Valid
N68162	Boeing B75N1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner California	Restricted	1994-03-09	Valid
N61916	Convair SNV-1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Standard	1994-03-08	Valid
N45214	Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Ohio	Standard	1993-11-18	Valid
N722MD	Beech D17S	Fixed-wing, single engine	Co-owned owner Virginia	Standard	1993-10-21	Valid
N61483	Consolidated Vultee SNV-2	Fixed-wing, single engine	Cavanaugh Collection INC Addison, Texas	Standard	1993-09-22	Valid
N6691Q	Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164B	Fixed-wing, single engine	AG Aviation Service INC Elkhorn, Wisconsin	Restricted	1993-09-10	Valid
N60417	Boeing A75N1(PT17)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Michigan	Restricted	1993-09-03	Valid
N4ZP	Nuwaco T-10-S	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Virginia	Experimental	1993-08-05	Valid
N17SW	Beech D17S	Fixed-wing, single engine	Head INC Columbus, Ohio	Standard	1993-08-02	Valid
N62357	Dehavilland DHC-2 MK. I(L20A)	Fixed-wing, single engine	Ward Air INC Juneau, Alaska	Restricted	1993-04-21	Valid
N450AD	Boeing B75N1	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner Oregon	Standard	1993-03-22	Valid
N2AP	Beech TC-45J	Fixed-wing, multi-engine	Individual owner Georgia	Standard	1993-02-09	Valid
N45283	Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3	Fixed-wing, single engine	Individual owner California	Standard	1992-11-17	Valid
N47G	Beech E18S	Fixed-wing, multi-engine	Individual owner Oklahoma	Standard	1992-10-22	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.

	reports
95	3
96	2
97	3
98	1
99	4
00	2
01	6
02	8
03	5
04	7
05	6
06	3
07	7
08	2
09	5
10	3
11	2
12	2
13	2
14	2
15	2
16	1
17	2

	reports
95	3
96	2
97	3
98	1
99	4
00	2
01	6
02	8
03	5
04	7
05	6
06	3
07	7
08	2
09	5
10	3
11	2
12	2
13	2
14	2
15	2
16	1
17	2

	reports
95	3
96	2
97	3
98	1
99	4
00	2
01	6
02	8
03	5
04	7
05	6
06	3
07	7
08	2
09	5
10	3
11	2
12	2
13	2
14	2
15	2
16	1
17	2