Aircraft model
CESSNA 172K
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1969-1970 Skyhawk, from the first years after Cessna dropped the six-cylinder Continental for the four-cylinder Lycoming O-320. Same mission as always: a slow, tolerant four-seater used mostly for training and two-up travel. The engine change is the important one — the Lycoming makes slightly more power, burns less fuel, runs to overhaul more reliably and is supported everywhere.
This makes the K a sensible cut-off point for buyers who want an old, cheap 172 without the Continental problem. The airframe is still the pre-1973 wing with the older cuffed leading edge, so it flies and stalls a shade differently from a late 172 but not in any way that matters to a normal pilot. Expect a tired interior and a panel that has been rebuilt at least once. Watch for corrosion, for fuel tank or bladder leaks, and for the cost of bringing avionics up to something you actually want to fly behind — that upgrade can easily cost more than the aeroplane.
Compare with…
Put CESSNA 172K side by side with up to two other models.
- CESSNA 172K
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-320-E2D |
| Horsepower | 150 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1969 |
| Production end | 1970 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 114 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 520 nm |
| Service ceiling | 13,100 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 | 1,000 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 766 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,300 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,300 lb |
| Usable fuel | 39 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 8.4 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $50,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $150,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $28,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $40,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 1,825 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 1,026 |
| Median year built | 1969.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 38 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 37.041 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 19.492 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 198 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 19.33 |
| Airworthiness directives | 10 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 1,026 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 1,026 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 1,026 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 8.8 of 101 |
| Severity | 7.4 of 102 |
| Access | 7.5 of 103 |
| Support | 9 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 4.3 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 37 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 32.28 · 202 models in class.
- Severity: class median 12.5.
- Access: class median 775.
- Support: class median 147.5.
- Liquidity: class median 19.9.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.