Aircraft model
CESSNA A185E
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1969 Skywagon 185, with 300 hp and a 3,350 lb gross weight. It is the heavy-hauling version of the 180 — same basic airframe, considerably more power and load — and it is the standard aeroplane of float operators, Alaskan charter companies, lodges and missionary aviation. A useful load of 1,650 lb out of a short gravel strip is the reason it costs what it does.
It is demanding in proportion to its capability. Three hundred horsepower in a tailwheel aeroplane produces real torque on takeoff and a genuine ground-loop risk, and insurers require substantial tailwheel time plus dual in type. The IO-520 is powerful but has a documented crankcase cracking history and is expensive to overhaul. Most surviving airframes have worked hard in remote places, so damage history, corrosion and logbook continuity deserve more scrutiny than usual. Aircraft on amphibious floats sell far above the range given here, and the float installation itself brings its own inspection and maintenance burden.
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- CESSNA A185E
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What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental IO-520-D |
| Horsepower | 300 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1969 |
| Production end | 1969 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance;tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 145 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 600 nm |
| Service ceiling | 17,150 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,010 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 49 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,365 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,400 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,650 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,284 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,350 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,700 lb |
| Usable fuel | 61 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 16.8 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $165,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $300,000 |
| 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 | 491 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 252 |
| Median year built | 1969.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 23 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 91.271 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 75.42 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 33 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 13.13 |
| 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 252 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 252 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 252 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 1.1 of 101 |
| Severity | 7.3 of 102 |
| Access | 5 of 103 |
| Support | 7.5 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 1.6 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 22.5 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 38.47 · 74 models in class.
- Severity: class median 16.67.
- Access: class median 1,823.
- Support: class median 96.
- Liquidity: class median 17.67.
- 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.