Aircraft model
CESSNA 190
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Cessna 190 is the Continental-engined version of the polished all-metal radial five-seater that Cessna sold as a postwar executive transport. It shares the 195's airframe entirely; the difference is a Continental W670 radial in place of the Jacobs, which makes it slightly less powerful and, today, slightly easier to support because the Continental radial is more common.
Everything else is as for the 195. The radial throws oil, needs careful starting and warm-up, and is expensive and increasingly specialised to overhaul. The landing gear is narrow-track spring steel with a well-earned ground-loop reputation, to the point that a crosswind landing gear was offered as an option and is worth seeking out. Hangarage is effectively mandatory to protect the polished finish. Insurance requires genuine tailwheel time in type.
What it is
| Seats | 5 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental W670-23 (radial) |
| Horsepower | 240 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1947 |
| Production end | 1953 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance;tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 130 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 600 nm |
| Service ceiling | 18,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,000 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 51 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 5 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,320 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 840 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,350 lb |
| Empty weight | 2,030 lb |
| Usable fuel | 80 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 13.4 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $85,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $180,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $50,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $85,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 178 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 74 |
| Median year built | 1950.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 4 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 54.05 per 1,000 active · base 74 active · thin base (low) |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 54.05 per 1,000 active · base 74 active · thin base (low) |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 17 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 22.97 per 100 active · base 74 active · thin base (low) |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
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, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | — · class median 38.14 · 75 models in class |
| Severity | — · class median 10 |
| Access | 0.3 of 10 · class median 1,826.5 |
| Support | 4.9 of 10 · class median 74 |
| Liquidity | 8 of 10 · class median 17.96 |