Plane and Pilot listed a new Cessna 172S at $297,000 in 2009. By 2017 its base price was $369,000. Textron's Fact Book now puts a new 2026 Skyhawk at $580,000, which is 1.95 times the 2009 figure.
- 2009$297,000New price, 172S. Plane and Pilot.
- 2017$369,000Base price, 172S. Plane and Pilot.
- 2026$580,000MSRP, 172S. Textron Fact Book.
Read that as a direction, not a decimal. Plane and Pilot quoted a new price in one year and a base price in the other, and Textron's number is a list price for a standard configuration. Nobody should expect to sign for exactly any of them.
The new airplane is the smaller part of the story. The Skyhawks people fly are mostly much older: among registered aircraft with a usable build year, 64.5% were built in the 1960s or 1970s. The used market runs on a different scale too. The median asking price for a 172N in our sample is $129,900, about 22% of a new 172S's list price.
What follows is a walk down that price curve, then a look at what the airplane costs to run, who owns the fleet and what the NTSB accident files record. Every figure comes from a named public source or a dated sample, and the sources are listed at the end.
Data used: FAA fleet through 2026-10-12; NTSB file through 2026-09-30; asking-price sample 2026-10-13.
What a new Skyhawk costs, and what that number means
Textron's Fact Book lists the Cessna 172S Skyhawk at $580,000. That is a manufacturer's suggested retail price: the standard configuration, before the options, avionics choices and dealer terms that move a real quote.
For that money the 172S carries 4 seats and a 180 hp Lycoming IO-360-L2A, with a maximum takeoff weight of 2,550 lb and 53 US gal of usable fuel, according to the FAA type certificate data sheet. At the 75 % power burn of 9.7 US gal/hour that Plane and Pilot published for a 2009 172S, a full tank is about 5.5 hours of flying before reserves.
Show the price-history table
| Model year | Price basis | Published price (USD) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 172S | Price basis: New price | Published price (USD): $297,000 | Source: Plane and Pilot; retrieved 2026-10-13 |
| 2017 172S | Price basis: Base price | Published price (USD): $369,000 | Source: Plane and Pilot; retrieved 2026-10-13 |
Leave the showroom and the price falls off a cliff
We gathered 82 Skyhawk listings from one marketplace on 13 October 2026, and 72 of them carried a usable asking price. Their medians sort the family into price tiers, with the new list price as the benchmark.
The gold bar is Textron's list price for a new 172S. Teal bars are medians of asking prices. Models with fewer than 5 priced listings are left out.
The 172S is the outlier. Its median ask is 3.2 times the 172N's, and its asking prices run from $220,000 to $659,000, a wide spread for a single label.
Look closer at the 172S and the age effect appears. Aircraft built between 1998 and 2008 have a median ask of $314,900, from $220,000 to $434,900 across 9 listings. The 4 newest, built in 2016 or later, ask $549,500 to $659,000.
The top of that range sits above the $580,000 list price. The sample cannot say why. Avionics, options and a seller's optimism all move an asking price, and it records none of them.
The median 172S built between 1998 and 2008 in our sample has flown 8,243 hours.
That is a lot of flying. The listings do not say who did it, or how the engine has fared since, and our sample uses airframe hours only. Airframe hours and engine hours are different numbers.
The older airplanes tell a quieter story. The median 172, built between 1957 and 1970, asks $99,500. The 172N asks $129,900 and the 172M $138,285. The M sitting above the N may be an accident of small samples: with 8 and 11 listings, one well-equipped airplane moves a median. Read the three as one price tier, not a ranking.
One caution covers this whole section. It is one marketplace on one day, with 72 priced listings after we set aside 8 with no price and 2 placeholder prices under $25,000. These are asking prices, not sales, and no individual listing is published.
Show the asking-price tables
| Model or band | Listings | Asking median (USD) | Asking range (USD) | Median total time (hours) | Sample years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 172 | Listings: 18 | Asking median (USD): $99,500 | Asking range (USD): $52,196 to $210,084 | Median total time (hours): 4,477.5 | Sample years: 1957 to 1970 |
| 172L | Listings: 2 | Asking median (USD): Range only | Asking range (USD): $110,000 to $134,900 | Median total time (hours): Not shown | Sample years: 1972 |
| 172M | Listings: 8 | Asking median (USD): $138,285 | Asking range (USD): $124,500 to $265,000 | Median total time (hours): 4,023 | Sample years: 1973 to 1976 |
| 172N | Listings: 11 | Asking median (USD): $129,900 | Asking range (USD): $80,000 to $206,726 | Median total time (hours): 4,807 | Sample years: 1976 to 1980 |
| 172P | Listings: 3 | Asking median (USD): Range only | Asking range (USD): $96,000 to $319,900 | Median total time (hours): Not shown | Sample years: 1981 to 1983 |
| 172R | Listings: 2 | Asking median (USD): Range only | Asking range (USD): $240,000 to $299,000 | Median total time (hours): Not shown | Sample years: 1997 to 1998 |
| 172S | Listings: 15 | Asking median (USD): $414,900 | Asking range (USD): $220,000 to $659,000 | Median total time (hours): 3,725 | Sample years: 1999 to 2022 |
| 172RG | Listings: 6 | Asking median (USD): $157,664 | Asking range (USD): $99,900 to $179,500 | Median total time (hours): 5,350 | Sample years: 1980 to 1981 |
| R172 | Listings: 3 | Asking median (USD): Range only | Asking range (USD): $150,000 to $214,900 | Median total time (hours): Not shown | Sample years: 1977 |
| FR172 | Listings: 4 | Asking median (USD): Range only | Asking range (USD): $70,000 to $176,001 | Median total time (hours): Not shown | Sample years: 1965 to 1979 |
| Model or band | Listings | Asking median (USD) | Asking range (USD) | Median total time (hours) | Sample years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 172S, 1998 to 2008 | Listings: 9 | Asking median (USD): $314,900 | Asking range (USD): $220,000 to $434,900 | Median total time (hours): 8,243 | Sample years: 1999 to 2008 |
| 172S, 2009 to 2015 | Listings: 2 | Asking median (USD): Range only | Asking range (USD): $460,000 | Median total time (hours): Not shown | Sample years: 2013 to 2015 |
| 172S, 2016 on | Listings: 4 | Asking median (USD): Range only | Asking range (USD): $549,500 to $659,000 | Median total time (hours): Not shown | Sample years: 2019 to 2022 |
Skyhawk is a name, not one airplane
The type has been through enough engines, weights and fuel tanks to fill a family tree, and the FAA's type certificate data sheets record the steps. Six of the rows tell most of the story.
- 145 hp, Continental
- 2,200 lb maximum takeoff weight
- 37 US gal usable fuel
- 160 hp, Lycoming
- 2,300 lb maximum takeoff weight
- 40 US gal usable fuel
- 160 hp, Lycoming
- 2,450 lb maximum takeoff weight
- 53 US gal usable fuel
- 180 hp, Lycoming
- 2,550 lb maximum takeoff weight
- 53 US gal usable fuel
- 195 hp, Continental
- 2,550 lb maximum takeoff weight
- 49 US gal usable fuel
- 180 hp, Lycoming
- 2,650 lb maximum takeoff weight
- 62 US gal usable fuel
Between the original and the 172S, rated power rose by 35 hp and maximum takeoff weight by 350 lb. The engine changed along the way: the original has a Continental, the 172S a Lycoming.
Two models sit off the main line. The Hawk XP carries a 195 hp Continental, and the 172RG adds retractable landing gear. The FAA data sheet names the retractable model the Skyhawk RG. The name Cutlass appears there on the fixed-gear 172Q.
Show the full model comparison table
| Model and approval year | Certified specification | Ownership context |
|---|---|---|
| 172Approved: 1955 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Continental O-300-A or O-300-B 145 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,200 lbFuel, total / usable: 42 US gal / 37 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 1,806 all registrations; 1,777 valid (status V)Asking median: $99,500Primary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
| 172AApproved: 1959 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Continental O-300-C or O-300-D 145 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,200 lbFuel, total / usable: 42 US gal / 37 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 435 all registrations; 429 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
| 172B SkyhawkApproved: 1960 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Continental O-300-C or O-300-D 145 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,200 lbFuel, total / usable: Not supplied / 39 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 413 all registrations; 407 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
| 172CApproved: 1961 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Continental O-300-C or O-300-D 145 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,250 lbFuel, total / usable: 39 US gal / 36 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 362 all registrations; 360 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
| 172DApproved: 1962 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Continental O-300-C or O-300-D 145 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,300 lbFuel, total / usable: 39 US gal / 36 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 471 all registrations; 458 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
| 172EApproved: 1963 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Continental O-300-C or O-300-D 145 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,300 lbFuel, total / usable: 39 US gal / 36 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 617 all registrations; 606 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
| 172F USAF T-41AApproved: 1964 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Continental O-300-C or O-300-D 145 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,300 lbFuel, total / usable: 39 US gal / 36 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 717 all registrations; 709 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
| 172GApproved: 1965 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Continental O-300-C or O-300-D 145 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,300 lbFuel, total / usable: 39 US gal / 36 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 721 all registrations; 707 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
| 172H USAF T-41AApproved: 1966 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Continental O-300-C or O-300-D 145 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,300 lbFuel, total / usable: 39 US gal / 36 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 780 all registrations; 766 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
| 172IApproved: 1967 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Lycoming O-320-E2D 150 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,300 lbFuel, total / usable: 42 US gal / 38 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 353 all registrations; 349 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: 2,600 hours first cycle; 2,000 hours after overhaul |
| 172KApproved: 1968 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Lycoming O-320-E2D 150 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,300 lbFuel, total / usable: 42 US gal / 38 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 1,026 all registrations; 1,012 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: 2,600 hours first cycle; 2,000 hours after overhaul |
| 172LApproved: 1970 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Lycoming O-320-E2D 150 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,300 lbFuel, total / usable: 42 US gal / 38 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 858 all registrations; 841 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: 2,600 hours first cycle; 2,000 hours after overhaul |
| 172M SkyhawkApproved: 1972 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Lycoming O-320-E2D 150 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,300 lbFuel, total / usable: 42 US gal / 38 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 3,576 all registrations; 3,534 valid (status V)Asking median: $138,285Primary engine TBO: 2,600 hours first cycle; 2,000 hours after overhaul |
| 172N SkyhawkApproved: 1976 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Lycoming O-320-H2AD 160 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,300 lbFuel, total / usable: 42 US gal / 40 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 3,138 all registrations; 3,098 valid (status V)Asking median: $129,900Primary engine TBO: 2,400 hours first cycle; 2,400 hours after overhaul |
| 172P SkyhawkApproved: 1980 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Lycoming O-320-D2J 160 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,400 lbFuel, total / usable: 42 US gal / 40 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 1,110 all registrations; 1,098 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: 2,600 hours first cycle; 2,000 hours after overhaul |
| 172Q CutlassApproved: 1982 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Lycoming O-360-A4N 180 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,550 lbFuel, total / usable: 54 US gal / 50 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 13 all registrations; 13 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: 2,600 hours first cycle; 2,000 hours after overhaul |
| 172R SkyhawkApproved: 1996 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Lycoming IO-360-L2A 160 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,450 lbFuel, total / usable: 56 US gal / 53 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 683 all registrations; 682 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: 2,600 hours first cycle; 2,000 hours after overhaul |
| 172S Skyhawk SPApproved: 1998 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Lycoming IO-360-L2A 180 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,550 lbFuel, total / usable: 56 US gal / 53 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 3,145 all registrations; 3,058 valid (status V)Asking median: $414,900Primary engine TBO: 2,600 hours first cycle; 2,000 hours after overhaul |
| P172D Skyhawk PowermaticApproved: 1962 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Continental GO-300E 175 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,500 lbFuel, total / usable: 52 US gal / 41.5 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 23 all registrations; 22 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
| R172E USAF T-41BApproved: 1964 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Continental IO-360-D or IO-360-DB 210 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,500 lbFuel, total / usable: 52 US gal / 46 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 102 all registrations; 101 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
| R172GApproved: 1969 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Continental IO-360-D or IO-360-C or IO-360DB or IO-360-CB 210 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,550 lbFuel, total / usable: 52 US gal / 46 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 6 all registrations; 6 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
| R172HApproved: 1970 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Continental IO-360-D or IO-360-C or IO-360-H or IO-360-DB or IO-360-CB or IO-360-HB 210 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,550 lbFuel, total / usable: 52 US gal / 46 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 0 all registrations; 0 valid (status V) No matching registration in this snapshotAsking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
| R172JApproved: 1972 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Continental IO-360-H or IO-360-HB 210 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,550 lbFuel, total / usable: 52 US gal / 46 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 1 all registrations; 1 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
| R172K Hawk XPApproved: 1976 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Continental IO-360-K or IO-360-KB 195 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,550 lbFuel, total / usable: 52 US gal / 49 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 653 all registrations; 645 valid (status V)Asking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
| 172RG Skyhawk RGApproved: 1979 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 180 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,650 lbFuel, total / usable: 66 US gal / 62 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 445 all registrations; 437 valid (status V)Asking median: $157,664Primary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
| R172FApproved: 1968 FAA sheet | Certified specification: Continental IO-360-D or IO-360-DB 210 hpMaximum takeoff weight: 2,500 lbFuel, total / usable: 52 US gal / 46 US galSeating: 4 seats | Ownership context: Registered: 0 all registrations; 0 valid (status V) No matching registration in this snapshotAsking median: Not shown for this designationPrimary engine TBO: No applicable primary schedule retrieved |
An old fleet that keeps flying
The FAA register lists 21,483 aircraft in the 172 family, and 21,145 of them (98.4%) hold a valid registration. That counts paperwork, not airplanes in the air: a valid registration says nothing about whether the aircraft is airworthy or flying.
The most common label on the register is the 172M, with 3,576 records. The 172S is second with 3,145, a count that includes aircraft registered under Textron Aviation's name, and it edges the 172N at 3,138.
- 1,6161950s
- 4,7551960s
- 7,2631970s
- 1,4051980s
- 6251990s
- 1,5262000s
- 5442010s
- 8982020s
2,851 records have a blank or invalid build year and are left out of the chart.
39.0% of the registered 172s with a usable build year were built in the 1970s.
The 1970s alone account for 7,263 aircraft and the 1960s for 4,755. The register thins out after that, with 1,405 aircraft from the 1980s and 625 from the 1990s. The 2020s total of 898 already beats the 1990s.
Individuals hold the most registrations, at 35.6%. LLCs follow at 32.3%, then corporations at 18.6%. The registry records the owner category, not how the airplane is used, so a flying club or a rental fleet can sit in any of those columns.
Florida (8.7%), Texas (8.5%) and California (8.3%) lead the state table. Fourth place is Delaware, with 1,038 registrations (4.8%). That is a registration-address effect, because LLC and trust registrations can carry a Delaware address. It says nothing about where those aircraft fly.
Download the fleet CSV by model and build year. Free to use, please link back. It counts all registrations and valid ones (status V) by model label and build year, including blank years, and contains no personal records.
Show the fleet tables
| Group | All registrations | Valid (status V) | Share of all registrations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skyhawk (172 to 172S, incl. the Textron-built 172S since 2016) | All registrations: 20,224 | Valid (status V): 19,904 | Share of all registrations: 94.1% |
| 172RG (retractable gear; the FAA sheet 3A17 names it Skyhawk RG) | All registrations: 445 | Valid (status V): 437 | Share of all registrations: 2.1% |
| R172K Hawk XP | All registrations: 653 | Valid (status V): 645 | Share of all registrations: 3.0% |
| R172J (civil, separate from the Hawk XP) | All registrations: 1 | Valid (status V): 1 | Share of all registrations: 0.0% |
| Military-derived R172 and T-41 designations | All registrations: 109 | Valid (status V): 108 | Share of all registrations: 0.5% |
| Reims-built F172 and FR172 | All registrations: 28 | Valid (status V): 28 | Share of all registrations: 0.1% |
| P172D Powermatic | All registrations: 23 | Valid (status V): 22 | Share of all registrations: 0.1% |
| Model label | All registrations | Valid (status V) |
|---|---|---|
| 172M | All registrations: 3,576 | Valid (status V): 3,534 |
| 172S | All registrations: 3,145 | Valid (status V): 3,058 |
| 172N | All registrations: 3,138 | Valid (status V): 3,098 |
| 172 | All registrations: 1,806 | Valid (status V): 1,777 |
| 172P | All registrations: 1,110 | Valid (status V): 1,098 |
| 172K | All registrations: 1,026 | Valid (status V): 1,012 |
| 172L | All registrations: 858 | Valid (status V): 841 |
| 172H | All registrations: 780 | Valid (status V): 766 |
| 172G | All registrations: 721 | Valid (status V): 707 |
| 172F | All registrations: 717 | Valid (status V): 709 |
| 172R | All registrations: 683 | Valid (status V): 682 |
| R172K | All registrations: 653 | Valid (status V): 645 |
| 172E | All registrations: 617 | Valid (status V): 606 |
| 172D | All registrations: 471 | Valid (status V): 458 |
| 172RG | All registrations: 445 | Valid (status V): 437 |
| 172A | All registrations: 435 | Valid (status V): 429 |
| 172B | All registrations: 413 | Valid (status V): 407 |
| 172C | All registrations: 362 | Valid (status V): 360 |
| 172I | All registrations: 353 | Valid (status V): 349 |
| R172E | All registrations: 98 | Valid (status V): 97 |
| Build decade | All registrations | Share of known years | Valid (status V) | Valid share of known years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | All registrations: 1,616 | Share of known years: 8.7% | Valid (status V): 1,592 | Valid share of known years: 8.7% |
| 1960s | All registrations: 4,755 | Share of known years: 25.5% | Valid (status V): 4,689 | Valid share of known years: 25.5% |
| 1970s | All registrations: 7,263 | Share of known years: 39.0% | Valid (status V): 7,173 | Valid share of known years: 39.0% |
| 1980s | All registrations: 1,405 | Share of known years: 7.5% | Valid (status V): 1,387 | Valid share of known years: 7.5% |
| 1990s | All registrations: 625 | Share of known years: 3.4% | Valid (status V): 624 | Valid share of known years: 3.4% |
| 2000s | All registrations: 1,526 | Share of known years: 8.2% | Valid (status V): 1,522 | Valid share of known years: 8.3% |
| 2010s | All registrations: 544 | Share of known years: 2.9% | Valid (status V): 543 | Valid share of known years: 3.0% |
| 2020s | All registrations: 898 | Share of known years: 4.8% | Valid (status V): 873 | Valid share of known years: 4.7% |
| FAA code | Registrant type | All registrations | Valid (status V) | Share of all registrations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Registrant type: Individual | All registrations: 7,653 | Valid (status V): 7,401 | Share of all registrations: 35.6% |
| 2 | Registrant type: Partnership | All registrations: 255 | Valid (status V): 255 | Share of all registrations: 1.2% |
| 3 | Registrant type: Corporation | All registrations: 3,992 | Valid (status V): 3,916 | Share of all registrations: 18.6% |
| 4 | Registrant type: Co-Owned | All registrations: 2,033 | Valid (status V): 2,033 | Share of all registrations: 9.5% |
| 5 | Registrant type: Government | All registrations: 500 | Valid (status V): 500 | Share of all registrations: 2.3% |
| 7 | Registrant type: LLC | All registrations: 6,940 | Valid (status V): 6,939 | Share of all registrations: 32.3% |
| 8 | Registrant type: Non Citizen Corporation | All registrations: 107 | Valid (status V): 101 | Share of all registrations: 0.5% |
| unknown | Registrant type: Missing or unlisted registrant type | All registrations: 3 | Valid (status V): 0 | Share of all registrations: 0.0% |
| 9 | Registrant type: Non Citizen Co-Owned | All registrations: 0 | Valid (status V): 0 | Share of all registrations: No records |
| State | All registrations | Valid (status V) | Share of all registrations |
|---|---|---|---|
| FL | All registrations: 1,867 | Valid (status V): 1,842 | Share of all registrations: 8.7% |
| TX | All registrations: 1,818 | Valid (status V): 1,794 | Share of all registrations: 8.5% |
| CA | All registrations: 1,791 | Valid (status V): 1,770 | Share of all registrations: 8.3% |
| DE | All registrations: 1,038 | Valid (status V): 1,031 | Share of all registrations: 4.8% |
| WA | All registrations: 810 | Valid (status V): 804 | Share of all registrations: 3.8% |
| OH | All registrations: 586 | Valid (status V): 578 | Share of all registrations: 2.7% |
| NC | All registrations: 553 | Valid (status V): 538 | Share of all registrations: 2.6% |
| GA | All registrations: 539 | Valid (status V): 531 | Share of all registrations: 2.5% |
| AZ | All registrations: 535 | Valid (status V): 526 | Share of all registrations: 2.5% |
| MI | All registrations: 523 | Valid (status V): 518 | Share of all registrations: 2.4% |
Show every exact FAA model label
| Model label | All registrations | Valid (status V) |
|---|---|---|
| 172M | All registrations: 3,576 | Valid (status V): 3,534 |
| 172S | All registrations: 3,145 | Valid (status V): 3,058 |
| 172N | All registrations: 3,138 | Valid (status V): 3,098 |
| 172 | All registrations: 1,806 | Valid (status V): 1,777 |
| 172P | All registrations: 1,110 | Valid (status V): 1,098 |
| 172K | All registrations: 1,026 | Valid (status V): 1,012 |
| 172L | All registrations: 858 | Valid (status V): 841 |
| 172H | All registrations: 780 | Valid (status V): 766 |
| 172G | All registrations: 721 | Valid (status V): 707 |
| 172F | All registrations: 717 | Valid (status V): 709 |
| 172R | All registrations: 683 | Valid (status V): 682 |
| R172K | All registrations: 653 | Valid (status V): 645 |
| 172E | All registrations: 617 | Valid (status V): 606 |
| 172D | All registrations: 471 | Valid (status V): 458 |
| 172RG | All registrations: 445 | Valid (status V): 437 |
| 172A | All registrations: 435 | Valid (status V): 429 |
| 172B | All registrations: 413 | Valid (status V): 407 |
| 172C | All registrations: 362 | Valid (status V): 360 |
| 172I | All registrations: 353 | Valid (status V): 349 |
| R172E | All registrations: 98 | Valid (status V): 97 |
| P172D | All registrations: 23 | Valid (status V): 22 |
| 172Q | All registrations: 13 | Valid (status V): 13 |
| R172G | All registrations: 6 | Valid (status V): 6 |
| CESSNA F172H | All registrations: 5 | Valid (status V): 5 |
| T-41B | All registrations: 4 | Valid (status V): 4 |
| CESSNA F172M | All registrations: 3 | Valid (status V): 3 |
| CESSNA FR172E | All registrations: 3 | Valid (status V): 3 |
| CESSNA F172F | All registrations: 2 | Valid (status V): 2 |
| CESSNA FR172J | All registrations: 2 | Valid (status V): 2 |
| F172G | All registrations: 2 | Valid (status V): 2 |
| CESSNA F172E | All registrations: 1 | Valid (status V): 1 |
| CESSNA F172G | All registrations: 1 | Valid (status V): 1 |
| CESSNA F172K | All registrations: 1 | Valid (status V): 1 |
| CESSNA F172P | All registrations: 1 | Valid (status V): 1 |
| CESSNA FR172H | All registrations: 1 | Valid (status V): 1 |
| CESSNA FR172K | All registrations: 1 | Valid (status V): 1 |
| F172H | All registrations: 1 | Valid (status V): 1 |
| F172K | All registrations: 1 | Valid (status V): 1 |
| F172M | All registrations: 1 | Valid (status V): 1 |
| FR 172 J | All registrations: 1 | Valid (status V): 1 |
| FR 172 K | All registrations: 1 | Valid (status V): 1 |
| R172J | All registrations: 1 | Valid (status V): 1 |
| T41C | All registrations: 1 | Valid (status V): 1 |
| Total | All registrations: 21,483 | Valid (status V): 21,145 |
The list price is only the entry fee
After the purchase the airplane wants fuel, an engine fund, an annual inspection, insurance and somewhere to sleep. Only some of those have a published number worth printing.
Fuel
Plane and Pilot's spec tables give a sense of the appetite: 8.0 US gal/hour at 75 % power for a 1975 172M, 9.2 US gal/hour for a 1997 172R and 9.7 US gal/hour for a 2009 172S. The appetite creeps up as the airplane grows. Fuel is the part of the bill you feel every time the propeller turns.
Turn that into money with your own fuel price. At an example $6.00 a gallon, the 2009 172S burns $58.20 of fuel an hour. At $9.00 it is $87.30. The 1975 172M at the same 75 % setting costs $48.00 an hour at $6.00. Those prices are examples chosen to show the arithmetic, not market data.
The engine
Lycoming's service instruction sets the overhaul schedule for the IO-360-L2A, the engine in both the 172R and the 172S. It allows 2,600 hours for the first run after factory-new or factory-rebuilt delivery, 2,000 hours after an overhaul and, separately, a limit of 12 calendar years. The instruction carries conditions, and the engine's history and configuration decide which line applies, so read it before relying on the headline. The engine is the line item that arrives all at once.
To turn that into a monthly reserve, divide your overhaul quote by the hours. We have not invented a quote for you. Overhaul prices swing with the shop, the engine's condition and what gets replaced.
The rest
The FAA describes an annual inspection interval of 12 calendar months for ordinary US personal aircraft ownership. Insurance, hangar or tie-down fees, labour rates and loan terms depend too much on the owner, the airfield and the airplane for one published number to mean anything, so this page prints none. Add your own quotes to the fuel and engine figures above and you have a budget that belongs to you.
Show the fuel tables
| Model year | Power setting | Fuel burn | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 172 | Power setting: Power not stated | Fuel burn: 8.0 US gal/hour | Source: Plane and Pilot spec table; retrieved 2026-10-13 |
| 1975 172M | Power setting: 75 % power | Fuel burn: 8.0 US gal/hour | Source: Plane and Pilot spec table; retrieved 2026-10-13 |
| 1975 172M | Power setting: 65 % power | Fuel burn: 6.8 US gal/hour | Source: Plane and Pilot spec table; retrieved 2026-10-13 |
| 1997 172R | Power setting: 75 % power | Fuel burn: 9.2 US gal/hour | Source: Plane and Pilot spec table; retrieved 2026-10-13 |
| 1997 172R | Power setting: 65 % power | Fuel burn: 8.1 US gal/hour | Source: Plane and Pilot spec table; retrieved 2026-10-13 |
| 2009 172S | Power setting: 75 % power | Fuel burn: 9.7 US gal/hour | Source: Plane and Pilot spec table; retrieved 2026-10-13 |
| Model year and power | $5.00/gal | $6.00/gal | $7.00/gal | $8.00/gal | $9.00/gal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 172 power not stated | $5.00/gal: $40.00 | $6.00/gal: $48.00 | $7.00/gal: $56.00 | $8.00/gal: $64.00 | $9.00/gal: $72.00 |
| 1975 172M 75 % | $5.00/gal: $40.00 | $6.00/gal: $48.00 | $7.00/gal: $56.00 | $8.00/gal: $64.00 | $9.00/gal: $72.00 |
| 1975 172M 65 % | $5.00/gal: $34.00 | $6.00/gal: $40.80 | $7.00/gal: $47.60 | $8.00/gal: $54.40 | $9.00/gal: $61.20 |
| 1997 172R 75 % | $5.00/gal: $46.00 | $6.00/gal: $55.20 | $7.00/gal: $64.40 | $8.00/gal: $73.60 | $9.00/gal: $82.80 |
| 1997 172R 65 % | $5.00/gal: $40.50 | $6.00/gal: $48.60 | $7.00/gal: $56.70 | $8.00/gal: $64.80 | $9.00/gal: $72.90 |
| 2009 172S 75 % | $5.00/gal: $48.50 | $6.00/gal: $58.20 | $7.00/gal: $67.90 | $8.00/gal: $77.60 | $9.00/gal: $87.30 |
What the accident files record
Every entry in the NTSB files is a real event, and the counts are all this page claims to know about them. The NTSB lists 3,412 accidents involving 172-family aircraft from 2000 through 2025. Of those, 503, or 14.7%, were fatal, and 938 people died in them.
- 2000
- 194
- 2005
- 2010
- 2015
- 2020
- 1092025
Counts only. The NTSB does not record how many hours the family flew, so these bars are not rates.
The count peaked at 194 in 2003 and stood at 109 in 2025. That is a drop in the number of accidents. It should not be read as a change in risk, because the data holds no flying hours to divide by.
The first coded phase is the one attached to the first event in the NTSB's sequence for each accident. Accidents without a coded sequence, or with unmapped codes, sit in separate rows of the full table.
Landing leads by a distance. 38.5% of accidents begin there, and takeoff adds 13.0%. Together that is 51.5% of the record, all of it at the two ends of a flight.
The NTSB's own findings point at people and machines together. Of the 1,858 accidents with causal findings in its current coding, 82.8% involve personnel issues and 74.2% involve aircraft issues. An accident can carry several findings, so the shares overlap and do not add up to the whole.
Show the NTSB tables
| Year | Accidents | Fatal accidents |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Accidents: 150 | Fatal accidents: 19 |
| 2001 | Accidents: 168 | Fatal accidents: 19 |
| 2002 | Accidents: 181 | Fatal accidents: 24 |
| 2003 | Accidents: 194 | Fatal accidents: 34 |
| 2004 | Accidents: 160 | Fatal accidents: 21 |
| 2005 | Accidents: 165 | Fatal accidents: 28 |
| 2006 | Accidents: 123 | Fatal accidents: 16 |
| 2007 | Accidents: 154 | Fatal accidents: 18 |
| 2008 | Accidents: 153 | Fatal accidents: 19 |
| 2009 | Accidents: 113 | Fatal accidents: 14 |
| 2010 | Accidents: 126 | Fatal accidents: 16 |
| 2011 | Accidents: 120 | Fatal accidents: 14 |
| 2012 | Accidents: 127 | Fatal accidents: 26 |
| 2013 | Accidents: 119 | Fatal accidents: 20 |
| 2014 | Accidents: 98 | Fatal accidents: 20 |
| 2015 | Accidents: 94 | Fatal accidents: 16 |
| 2016 | Accidents: 121 | Fatal accidents: 22 |
| 2017 | Accidents: 120 | Fatal accidents: 24 |
| 2018 | Accidents: 123 | Fatal accidents: 19 |
| 2019 | Accidents: 123 | Fatal accidents: 22 |
| 2020 | Accidents: 102 | Fatal accidents: 15 |
| 2021 | Accidents: 116 | Fatal accidents: 12 |
| 2022 | Accidents: 122 | Fatal accidents: 20 |
| 2023 | Accidents: 111 | Fatal accidents: 20 |
| 2024 | Accidents: 120 | Fatal accidents: 14 |
| 2025 | Accidents: 109 | Fatal accidents: 11 |
| Phase of flight | Accidents | Share of all accidents |
|---|---|---|
| Landing | Accidents: 1,313 | Share of all accidents: 38.5% |
| Takeoff | Accidents: 443 | Share of all accidents: 13.0% |
| Approach | Accidents: 307 | Share of all accidents: 9.0% |
| Enroute | Accidents: 270 | Share of all accidents: 7.9% |
| Maneuvering | Accidents: 233 | Share of all accidents: 6.8% |
| Taxi | Accidents: 177 | Share of all accidents: 5.2% |
| Cruise | Accidents: 144 | Share of all accidents: 4.2% |
| Initial Climb | Accidents: 127 | Share of all accidents: 3.7% |
| Prior to Flight | Accidents: 58 | Share of all accidents: 1.7% |
| Go-around (VFR) | Accidents: 54 | Share of all accidents: 1.6% |
| Standing | Accidents: 43 | Share of all accidents: 1.3% |
| Emergency or uncontrolled descent | Accidents: 30 | Share of all accidents: 0.9% |
| Other, unknown or not coded | Accidents: 213 | Share of all accidents: 6.2% |
| Total | Accidents: 3,412 | Share of all accidents: 100.0% |
| Group | Accidents | Share of all | Share of coded subset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft | Accidents: 1,378 | Share of all: 40.4% | Share of coded subset: 74.2% |
| Personnel issues | Accidents: 1,539 | Share of all: 45.1% | Share of coded subset: 82.8% |
| Environmental issues | Accidents: 458 | Share of all: 13.4% | Share of coded subset: 24.7% |
| Organizational issues | Accidents: 8 | Share of all: 0.2% | Share of coded subset: 0.4% |
| Not determined | Accidents: 127 | Share of all: 3.7% | Share of coded subset: 6.8% |
| Group | Accidents | Share of all | Share of coded subset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft/Environment | Accidents: 644 | Share of all: 18.9% | Share of coded subset: 51.6% |
| Human Performance | Accidents: 1,191 | Share of all: 34.9% | Share of coded subset: 95.4% |
| Direct Underlying Factors | Accidents: 122 | Share of all: 3.6% | Share of coded subset: 9.8% |
| Indirect Underlying Factors | Accidents: 3 | Share of all: 0.1% | Share of coded subset: 0.2% |
| Manufacture band | Accidents | Share of all |
|---|---|---|
| Year of manufacture 1955 to 1975 | Accidents: 484 | Share of all: 14.2% |
| Year of manufacture 1976 to 1979 | Accidents: 246 | Share of all: 7.2% |
| Year of manufacture 1980 to 1995 | Accidents: 128 | Share of all: 3.8% |
| Year of manufacture 1996 to 1997 | Accidents: 21 | Share of all: 0.6% |
| Year of manufacture 1998 to 2025 | Accidents: 338 | Share of all: 9.9% |
| Unknown year of manufacture | Accidents: 2,193 | Share of all: 64.3% |
| Family aircraft in different manufacture-year bands | Accidents: 2 | Share of all: 0.1% |
What to take from the numbers
- Pick an era before you pick an airplane. In our sample the median ask runs from $99,500 for the older 172 to $414,900 for the 172S, and the models in between sit between $129,900 and $157,664.
- Treat an asking price as an opening line. These are what sellers want. The sample cannot see what buyers pay.
- Ask for engine time since overhaul, not only airframe hours. Lycoming's schedule counts engine hours, and the airframe medians in our sample run into the thousands, such as 4,807 for the 172N.
- Do not read a valid registration as a clean bill of health. Status V is paperwork, not an inspection.
- Budget with your own quotes. At 9.7 US gal/hour and an example $6.00 a gallon, a 172S burns $58.20 of fuel an hour, before the engine fund, the annual inspection, insurance and storage.
Questions buyers ask
How much does a new Cessna 172 cost?
Textron lists a new 2026 172S Skyhawk at $580,000 MSRP in its Fact Book. Real quotes vary with options and dealer terms.
How much does a used Cessna 172 cost?
In a one-day sample of asking prices on Controller.com, the median ask was $129,900 for a 172N, $414,900 for a 172S and $99,500 for the older 172. Those are asking prices, not sales.
What does it cost to fly a Cessna 172 per hour?
Fuel alone is 9.7 US gal/hour at 75 % power for a 2009 172S, which is $58.20 an hour at an example $6.00 a gallon. Engine reserve, insurance, storage and inspections come on top, so price them with your own quotes.
How many Cessna 172s are there?
The FAA register lists 21,483 aircraft in the 172 family, 21,145 with a valid registration. The 172M is the most common label, with 3,576 records.
How many Cessna 172 accidents has the NTSB recorded?
The NTSB files hold 3,412 accidents from 2000 through 2025, 503 of them fatal. These are counts, not rates, because flying hours by model are not published.
Which Skyhawk has the most horsepower?
The R172E to R172H and R172J rows are certified at 210 hp, the most in the covered type certificate data sheets. The current 172S is certified at 180 hp. Modified aircraft need their own approved specifications.
Sources and how the numbers were made
Data through: FAA 2026-10-12; NTSB 2026-09-30; asking sample 2026-10-13.
How the numbers were made: We counted matching FAA registrations and showed valid registrations (status V) separately. We combined the NTSB files, counted each accident once and excluded incidents. Used prices are summaries of advertised prices. Fuel cost examples multiply published fuel burn by example fuel prices.
Privacy: No personal data is used in the published results. No owner, seller, crew, operator, narrative or individual accident record is published.
- Federal Aviation Administration. Releasable Aircraft Database. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The registry supplies fleet counts by model, build year, registrant type and state.
Source SHA-256:ad4497553c4b71a14e7a0768b2e9c66974998ced50177a963b7942eabc259dec - Federal Aviation Administration. Aircraft Registration Database Description. Retrieved 2026-10-13. This document explains registration status and registrant-type codes.
- Federal Aviation Administration. Type Certificate Data Sheet No. 3A12. Retrieved 2026-10-13. This sheet supplies certified approval dates, engines, power, weights, fuel capacities and seating for the covered fixed-gear models.
Source SHA-256:171a9fab6d65b93d47341832030d40ab719af9dd2eb05cc1870e4fbccc7d8141
Text SHA-256:d14eac265970cc9293ddc0a2919a7fad05e62d1adc17ce5c5025d3ff2620a8b7 - Federal Aviation Administration. Type Certificate Data Sheet No. 3A17. Retrieved 2026-10-13. This sheet supplies certified specifications for the retractable, Powermatic and R-series models.
Source SHA-256:6f96ad72c39d8aa1ff1130191f4a999f015ab8d4bad96b49c7005b1f8c558128
Text SHA-256:6224f2165bcb877fa733a1ec8f41f261aeb9288b0cbb1596f11dbe4ef837cb8e - Lycoming Engines. Service Instruction No. 1009BF. Time Between Overhaul (TBO) Schedules. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The service instruction gives engine overhaul schedules and their conditions.
Source SHA-256:a0e8755d288166ac64fe198791c5f6e1616e51835ac3354e33b21d2ca9f40d9a - Lycoming Engines. O-320 Series Operator Manual, Part No. 60297-30. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The manual identifies engine applications used to check which overhaul schedule applies.
Source SHA-256:78512ef5f9b61f01a50044dd53548248d99b61d20b29717b04fd77c0b33a6288 - Lycoming Engines. O-320 76 Series Operator Manual, Part No. 60297-22. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The manual identifies engine applications used to check which overhaul schedule applies.
Source SHA-256:7478ce33791efb2129f930261752b74426426e56d93b0d4fd49c3455729ff113 - Federal Aviation Administration. Pilot Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. Glossary. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The glossary explains the annual inspection interval.
Source SHA-256:210d7cebd33f4094af682b49cb83a93505bebfe3d22e7db4de25dbdaa5476140 - Plane and Pilot. 1958 Cessna 172 Skyhawk. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The specification table supplies fuel consumption for this model year without stating a power setting.
Evidence SHA-256:ca1933fa2cf1a16e9ffd4a2a4dc7e15d48217c271759d0b3c22c38b06ce1c4c0 - Plane and Pilot. Cessna 1975 172 Skyhawk. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The specification table supplies fuel consumption for this model year at the stated power settings.
Evidence SHA-256:ca1933fa2cf1a16e9ffd4a2a4dc7e15d48217c271759d0b3c22c38b06ce1c4c0 - Plane and Pilot. Cessna 1997 172R Skyhawk. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The specification table supplies fuel consumption and a secondary check on the engine overhaul interval.
Evidence SHA-256:ca1933fa2cf1a16e9ffd4a2a4dc7e15d48217c271759d0b3c22c38b06ce1c4c0 - Plane and Pilot. 2009 CESSNA SKYHAWK 172S. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The specification table supplies a historical new price and fuel consumption at the stated power setting.
Evidence SHA-256:ca1933fa2cf1a16e9ffd4a2a4dc7e15d48217c271759d0b3c22c38b06ce1c4c0 - Plane and Pilot. 2017 Cessna 172 Skyhawk. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The specification table supplies a historical base price.
Evidence SHA-256:ca1933fa2cf1a16e9ffd4a2a4dc7e15d48217c271759d0b3c22c38b06ce1c4c0 - Textron Inc. Textron Fact Book 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The Fact Book supplies the current Skyhawk MSRP.
Source SHA-256:da8915482a3206a16a3d572899426e730be221f9fa6147b7494e2148121afd83 - National Transportation Safety Board. Aviation accident data: avall. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The later accident file supplies counts, fatal outcomes, phases of flight, findings and manufacture years.
Source SHA-256:bc74fefb1b39e1b86700a4be82b8ff6014bb1f6d81008524de73f2ddbd38b052
Database SHA-256:c891b8a6fe55651294a0cb0fa328e5648833caf5ac62b1c21d6caf3ea5e99bb7 - National Transportation Safety Board. Historical aviation accident data: Pre2008. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The historical accident file supplies earlier counts and its own phase and finding categories.
Source SHA-256:89e2df6d848e7ab3b42e7d7c7a03ff403303057a26ca04c95b3ea67201c3ce74
Database SHA-256:c2102e7e9f6773ab25c5564904db9b02d0a6d58ad8e73b3e9accda349ea85b9a - National Transportation Safety Board. Aviation data dictionaries. Retrieved 2026-10-13. Each file's dictionary defines the accident codes used here.
- National Transportation Safety Board. Aviation data download directory. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The directory gives the accident files' release dates.
- National Transportation Safety Board. Aviation database release notes. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The release notes explain file coverage and how causes and contributing factors are marked.
- National Transportation Safety Board. Aviation accident database query help. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The help page explains event dates, first phases, investigation status and limits on foreign investigations.
- National Transportation Safety Board. Aviation accident database. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The database page explains the geographic limits of these accident records.
- Federal Aviation Administration. General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The survey reports flight hours by aircraft category, which cannot support a model accident rate.
- Controller.com. Cessna 172 aircraft for sale. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The advertised prices supply model medians, ranges and airframe hours for the dated sample.
- U.S. Air Force, via Wikimedia Commons. Civil Air Patrol Cessna 172 on flight line. Retrieved 2026-10-13. The opening photograph, taken by Kevin T. Chandler. It is a work of the U.S. federal government and is in the public domain.
- PilotPassion editorial team. Fuel cost examples on this page. Retrieved 2026-10-13. Editorial example fuel prices illustrate fuel cost per hour.
Send corrections and a supporting source through the contact page. We check each correction against the source.