Aircraft model
CESSNA T303
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Cessna T303 Crusader is a six-seat light twin with counter-rotating turbocharged engines, a club-seating cabin and airstair-style entry. Cessna designed it from scratch in the late 1970s as a modern replacement for the 310, with none of the tip tanks or the complicated fuel system that afflicted the older aeroplane.
It is arguably the best-handling light twin Cessna built: counter-rotating propellers mean no critical engine, the fuel system is straightforward, and the cabin is genuinely comfortable. It was also a commercial failure, built for only three years before Cessna left the piston twin market, so the fleet is tiny and Crusader-specific parts are the real ownership risk. The turbocharged Continentals are expensive and the exhaust system needs close inspection. Bought with a type club connection it is a lot of aeroplane for the money.
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Put CESSNA T303 side by side with up to two other models.
- CESSNA T303
What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 2 |
| Engine | Continental TSIO-520-AE (turbocharged, counter-rotating) |
| Horsepower | 250 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | FAR23 |
| Production start | 1982 |
| Production end | 1984 |
| Endorsements required | complex;high-performance;multi-engine |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 195 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 900 nm |
| Service ceiling | 25,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,480 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 66 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 2,000 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,800 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,845 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 915 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 5,150 lb |
| Empty weight | 3,305 lb |
| Usable fuel | 155 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 29 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $255,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $350,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,400 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $60,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $85,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 259 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 59 |
| Median year built | 1982.5 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 50.85 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 33.9 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 12 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 20.34 · 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 59 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 59 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 59 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing multi-engine, piston, 2 engines, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 2.9 of 104 |
| Liquidity | —5 |
- Accident record: class median 6.62 · 7 models in class.
- Severity: class median 7.14.
- Access: class median 1,060.75.
- Support: class median 109.
- Liquidity: class median 21.05.
- 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.