Aircraft model
CESSNA P206D
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1969 Super Skylane. The P206 is the Super Skylane: the same airframe and the same 285 hp Continental IO-520-A as the utility U206, but with conventional passenger doors instead of the double cargo door and a trim level aimed at people rather than freight. Cessna built it alongside the U-model from 1965 to 1970 and then stopped, because almost everyone who wanted a 206 wanted the cargo door. Maximum weight is 3,600 lb, up from the 3,300 lb of the original P206, and the year's changes are equipment and detail rather than anything structural.
Because the P-model is rarer than the U-model it is often cheaper, and for a private owner who is never going to load a barrel through a cargo door that is a straightforward saving. The penalty is at resale, where the market wants the U. Ownership otherwise reads exactly like a U206: a big Continental working hard, an airframe that has usually been used rather than polished, and a corrosion and damage history that deserves an inspector who knows the type. The 285 hp IO-520-A is the earlier and slightly less powerful of the two engines fitted to 206s and is worth identifying before comparing prices.
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- CESSNA P206D
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What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| 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 | high-performance |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 142 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 555 nm |
| Service ceiling | 14,800 ft |
| Climb rate | 920 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 53 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,810 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,395 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,780 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,390 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,600 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,820 lb |
| Usable fuel | 65 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 16 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $185,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $295,000 |
| 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 | 52 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 28 |
| Median year built | 1968.5 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 35.71 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 0 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 8 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 28.57 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 5 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 28 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 28 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 28 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 2.6 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 8.8 of 105 |
- 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.