Aircraft model
CESSNA 210J
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1969 Centurion, from the generation after Cessna deleted the wing struts in 1967. The cantilever wing is the single biggest change in the type's history: it cleaned up the aeroplane, improved the look and removed the strut as a structural item, though it is also the wing that the 2020 spar airworthiness directive concerns.
With 285 hp and a 3,300 lb gross weight it carries 1,400 lb at 170 knots, which is a strong combination. The gear system is still the complicated arrangement with wheel-well doors that the 1979 model year finally simplified, so a full gear swing and a maintenance history review are essential at purchase. The IO-520 burns 16 gallons an hour and has a documented crankcase cracking history on high-time engines.
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Put CESSNA 210J side by side with up to two other models.
- CESSNA 210J
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental IO-520-A |
| Horsepower | 285 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1969 |
| Production end | 1969 |
| Endorsements required | complex;high-performance |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 170 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 750 nm |
| Service ceiling | 19,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,150 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 56 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,800 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,450 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,400 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,022 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,300 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,900 lb |
| Usable fuel | 63 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 16 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $90,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $190,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,700 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $48,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $68,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 107 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 55 |
| Median year built | 1969.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 18.18 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 18.18 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 13 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 23.64 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 6 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 55 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 55 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 55 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 6 of 103 |
| Support | 2.3 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 7.5 of 105 |
- 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.