Cessna S550
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Citation S/II is the improved Citation II, with a new supercritical wing that gives it about fifteen more knots, better climb and a higher ceiling than the straight-wing aircraft it replaced. It carries eight passengers 2,000 nautical miles at 400 knots and retains the short-field ability that made the Citation line successful.
It is the best of the early Citations and generally worth the premium over a standard Citation II. The costs are unchanged: JT15D engines that are old-technology and thirsty, limited engine programme options, avionics needing investment to remain legal, and unscheduled maintenance on a forty-year-old jet that can be substantial. A CE-500 type rating is required. Values depend heavily on engine and airframe programme status, and two apparently identical aircraft can differ enormously in real cost.
Variants of the Cessna Citation II / S/II (550)
- 550 · 1978 · 500 active
- S550 · 1984 · 94 active · this page
Also consider
- Dassault Aviation Falcon 10Partial 1.4/30 · 9 seats · 430 kt
- Cessna 560Score 23.9/50 · 10 seats · 430 kt
- Pilatus PC-24No overall score · 10 seats · 440 kt
Compare with…
Put Cessna S550 side by side with up to three other models.
- Cessna S550
Watch this model
One email a day if anything changes: new ADs and NTSB records.
What it is
| Seats | 8 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 2 |
| Engine | Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4B |
| Horsepower | — |
| Fuel | JetA |
| Certification basis | FAR25 |
| Production start | 1984 |
| Production end | 1988 |
| Endorsements required | multi-engine |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 400 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 2,000 nm |
| Service ceiling | 43,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 3,400 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 85 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 3,400 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 2,700 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 8 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 6,800 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,808 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 15,100 lb |
| Empty weight | 8,300 lb |
| Usable fuel | 745 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 150 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $550,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $1,100,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 3,500 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $400,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $700,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 156 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 94 |
| Median year built | 1985.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 21.28 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 10.64 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 40 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 42.55 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 7 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 94 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 94 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 94 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing multi-engine, turbo-fan, 2 engines, 7+ seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 1.9 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 8.3 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 1.23 · 42 models in class.
- Severity: class median 10.
- Access: class median 9,850.
- Support: class median 197.5.
- Liquidity: class median 32.81.
- 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. When accident record and severity cannot be scored because the model has too few records, the other three give a partial score out of 30, labelled as such; it is never set against a full score.
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · ADs Oct 6 · scores Sep 30