Aircraft model
CESSNA TU206F
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The turbocharged Stationair in 1970s TU206F form: the same six-seat fixed-gear utility aeroplane with a turbocharged Continental, which transforms its performance out of hot and high airfields and lets it cruise at about 164 knots in the mid-teens. Operators in mountainous country buy them specifically for that.
The turbocharger is the reason to buy one and the main expense. The TSIO-520 runs hot, is less tolerant of careless power handling than a normally aspirated engine, and is hard on exhaust systems and turbochargers — cracked exhaust components are the recurring inspection item and a carbon monoxide risk. The 27,000-foot ceiling is theoretical without pressurisation; everyone aboard is on oxygen above the mid-teens, which with six people is a real chore. As a load-hauler out of high strips it does something few piston singles can.
Compare with…
Put CESSNA TU206F side by side with up to two other models.
- CESSNA TU206F
What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental TSIO-520-M (turbocharged) |
| Horsepower | 285 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1971 |
| Production end | 1976 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 164 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 600 nm |
| Service ceiling | 27,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,030 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 54 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,810 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,395 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,650 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,284 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,600 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,950 lb |
| Usable fuel | 61 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 16.5 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $180,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $360,000 |
| 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 | 355 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 87 |
| Median year built | 1975.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 5 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 57.47 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 11.49 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 14 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 16.09 · 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 87 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 87 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 87 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 5.8 of 103 |
| Support | 5.2 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 3.4 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 38.14 · 75 models in class.
- Severity: class median 10.
- Access: class median 1,826.5.
- Support: class median 74.
- Liquidity: class median 17.96.
- 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.