Aircraft model
CESSNA 172A
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1960 Skyhawk, and the first 172 with the swept fin that became the family's signature. Underneath it is the same aeroplane as the 1956 original: four seats, a 145 hp six-cylinder Continental, and handling deliberately made forgiving. It exists to teach people to fly and to carry two or three of them a few hundred miles without drama.
It is cheap, and the Continental O-300 is why. The engine is smooth but makes little power for its size, burns more fuel than the Lycomings that replaced it, needs valve work more often, and has a shrinking base of shops willing to overhaul it. At 2,200 lb gross you carry four small adults or two adults with full fuel, not both. A great many of these airframes now fly behind Lycoming O-320 or O-360 conversions under supplemental type certificate, which improves power and supportability and usually raises the price; check the paperwork for any such conversion carefully.
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental O-300-C |
| Horsepower | 145 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1960 |
| Production end | 1960 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 108 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 500 nm |
| Service ceiling | 15,100 ft |
| Climb rate | 645 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 41 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,525 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,250 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 950 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 728 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,200 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,250 lb |
| Usable fuel | 37 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 8.1 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $40,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $110,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $30,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $42,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 965 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 435 |
| Median year built | 1960.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 5 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 11.49 per 1,000 active · base 435 active |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 6.9 per 1,000 active · base 435 active |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 89 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 20.46 per 100 active · base 435 active |
| Airworthiness directives | 6 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
Peer scores
A score runs from 0 to 10 within the model's peer class: a position, not a grade, and the six are never added together.
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | — · class median 28.36 · 202 models in class |
| Severity | — · class median 11.65 |
| Access | 6.2 of 10 · class median 767.75 |
| Support | 7.6 of 10 · class median 141.5 |
| Liquidity | 5.9 of 10 · class median 19.57 |