Aircraft model
CESSNA 172N
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1977-1980 Skyhawk, sold as the Skyhawk 100 because it ran on 100-octane fuel. Cessna raised the power to 160 hp and it is measurably brisker than the M in climb and cruise. It remains a four-seat trainer and light tourer with all the docility that implies, and there are a great many of them in flight school fleets.
The N carries a specific, well-documented problem: the Lycoming O-320-H2AD engine. It had camshaft and lifter wear failures serious enough to generate service bulletins and a redesign, and while fixes exist and many engines have since been converted to the O-320-D2J under STC, an unconverted H2AD is a real risk and should be priced as one. Ask directly what engine is fitted and what has been done to it. Beyond that the N is a good aeroplane — faster than the older 172s, still cheap to run, universally supported, and easy to insure. Useful load is thin: with full fuel you have about 680 lb, which is three adults and no bags.
Compare with…
Put CESSNA 172N side by side with up to two other models.
- CESSNA 172N
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-320-H2AD |
| Horsepower | 160 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1977 |
| Production end | 1980 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 122 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 440 nm |
| Service ceiling | 14,200 ft |
| Climb rate | 770 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 41 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,440 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,250 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 921 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 681 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,300 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,379 lb |
| Usable fuel | 40 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 9 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $67,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $250,000 |
| 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 | 5,818 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 3,138 |
| Median year built | 1978.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 185 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 26 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 58.951 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 25.812 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 667 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 21.263 |
| Airworthiness directives | 12 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 3,138 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 3,138 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 3,138 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 6.9 of 101 |
| Severity | 4.7 of 102 |
| Access | 8.9 of 103 |
| Support | 9.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 6.4 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 36.7 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.