Aircraft model
CESSNA 180A
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1957 Skywagon, from the early years of the aeroplane that defined American backcountry flying. It is a tailwheel four-seater with 230 hp, a constant-speed propeller and a structure built to be loaded heavily and landed on gravel. Bush operators, float operators and ranchers bought them new and their successors are still buying them used, which is why prices have risen rather than fallen.
It is a capable aeroplane and a demanding one. Two hundred and thirty horsepower in a taildragger means real torque on takeoff and a genuine ground-loop risk; insurers require meaningful tailwheel time and usually dual in type before covering a new owner. Running costs exceed a 172's in every category. On the airframe, check the spar carry-through, the gear box and the tailcone for damage, because most of these aeroplanes have worked hard in places without hangars. Float, ski and gross-weight-increase supplemental type certificates are common and change every figure quoted here.
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Put CESSNA 180A side by side with up to two other models.
- CESSNA 180A
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental O-470-K |
| Horsepower | 230 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1957 |
| Production end | 1957 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance;tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 143 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 600 nm |
| Service ceiling | 19,600 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,100 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 48 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,205 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,365 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,100 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 770 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,650 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,550 lb |
| Usable fuel | 55 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 12.9 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $110,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $255,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,500 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $40,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $55,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 654 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 206 |
| Median year built | 1957.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 14 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 67.961 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 58.252 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 35 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 16.993 |
| Airworthiness directives | 6 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 206 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 206 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 206 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 1.4 of 101 |
| Severity | 6.7 of 102 |
| Access | 5.7 of 103 |
| Support | 5.5 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 2.5 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 21.8 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.