Cessna 206 Stationair buyer's guide:
what the records reveal

The U.S. fleet at a glance

The FAA registry lists 2,552 Cessna 206 Stationair aircraft, built between 1918 and 2026. The largest concentrations are registered in AK (325), TX (270), CA (202). A large, active fleet works in a buyer's favor: parts supply, mechanic familiarity and comparable sale prices are all easier to establish than on a rare type.

Type specifications (FAA Type Certificate)

Representative type specifications — values can vary by serial/variant. Verify against the official FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet (drs.faa.gov, document A4CE).

Where this fleet reports maintenance difficulties

FAA Service Difficulty Reports are filed by mechanics and operators when a component fails or malfunctions in service. Across the Cessna 206 Stationair fleet, 337 reports have been filed against this type since 1995 — most airframes have zero reports on file, with a mean of 0.1 per airframe. The systems mechanics report most on this type:

• JASC 85 — Reciprocating Engine : 71 reports fleet-wide
• JASC 74 — Ignition : 37 reports fleet-wide
• JASC 24 — Electrical Power : 27 reports fleet-wide
• JASC 32 — Landing Gear : 24 reports fleet-wide
• JASC 27 — Flight Controls : 21 reports fleet-wide

Filing is voluntary, so these figures understate reality — but the RELATIVE weight of each system is exactly where an experienced buyer points the pre-buy inspection first. Reconciliation note: 745 further reports filed under these registrations were excluded because the aircraft model declared in the report shows they belong to previous holders of the same N-numbers.

The accident record, in numbers

The NTSB database holds 111 accident or incident records serial-matched to Cessna 206 Stationair airframes in this fleet since 2008 — about 4.3 per 100 currently registered aircraft, of which 10 involved fatal injuries (most recent record: 2026). A further 11 records filed under the same N-numbers belong to different airframes (reused registrations) and are excluded.

Method: the denominator is the fleet currently on the FAA registry. Airframes destroyed and later deregistered leave that denominator, so this ratio understates lifetime accident history — read it as a fleet-profile indicator, not an accident rate. Fleet totals also reflect how the type is flown (training and commercial work versus private use), not just the machine itself.

Fleet-level counts tell you about the TYPE; what matters for your purchase is whether the specific airframe you are considering appears in that database — and U.S. registrations get reused, so a serial-number check matters. That per-aircraft lookup is exactly what a TailGuard report does.

Airworthiness directives to know about

20 airworthiness directives published since 1994 in our Federal Register database and matched to this type are currently open, including 6 recurring directives that must be re-complied with at set intervals. The full list of directives applicable to an older airframe is longer — build it at drs.faa.gov. The most recent in our database:

• AD 2025-11-09 recurring · effective 2025-07-11 — reports of mis-wired fire extinguishing bottles
• AD 2024-15-09 · effective 2024-10-22 — report of the potential for a failure of the ATLAS system in which a loss of load alleviation would be un-annunciated
• AD 2020-18-01 recurring · effective 2020-11-12 — The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Textron Aviation Inc. (Textron) Model 172N, 172P, 172Q, 172RG, F172N, F172P, FR172K, R172K, 182E, 182F, 182G, 182H, 182J, 182K, 182L, 182M, 182N, 182P, 182Q, 182R, T182, F182P, F182Q, FR182, R182, TR182, 206, P206, P206A, P206B, P206C, P206D, P206E, TP206A, TP206B, TP206C, TP206D, TP206E, U206, U206A, U206B, U206C, U206D, U206E, U206F, U206G, TU206A, TU206B, TU206C, TU206D, TU206E, TU206F, TU206G, 207, 207A, T207, T207A, 210-5 (205), 210-5A (205A), 210B, 210C, 210D, 210E, 210F, and T210F airplanes. This AD was prompted by crack
• AD 2011-10-09 recurring · effective 2011-06-17 — We are superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for Cessna Aircraft Company (Cessna) 150, 152, 170, 172, 175, 177, 180, 182, 185, 188, 190, 195, 206, 207, 210, T303, 336, and 337 series airplanes. That AD currently requires repetitive inspections and replacement of parts, if necessary, of the seat rail and seat rail holes; seat pin engagement; seat rollers, washers, and axle bolts or bushings; wall thickness of roller housing and the tang; and lock pin springs. This new AD requires retaining all of the actions from the previous AD and adding steps to the inspection procedures in th
• AD 2008-26-10 · effective 2010-11-16 — The FAA is correcting an airworthiness directive (AD) that was published in the Federal Register. That AD applies to the products listed above. In the Information Heading and in the SUMMARY section of the published AD, we incorrectly included Cessna 188 series airplanes. In the Unsafe Condition section, we incorrectly designated that paragraph as (e) instead of (d). Also in the Compliance section, paragraph (f)(2), and in Figure 1, we incorrectly stated the mailing address for the report. We are issuing this document to help eliminate any confusion that this AD may have created in the Informat
• AD 2008-26-04 · effective 2009-01-28 — The FAA is superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD), which applies to certain Cessna Model 560 airplanes. That AD currently requires installing new minimum airspeed placards to notify the flightcrew of the proper airspeeds for operating in both normal and icing conditions. That AD also requires revising the airplane flight manual to provide limitations and procedures for operating in icing conditions, for operating with anti-ice systems selected "on" independent of icing conditions, and for recognizing and recovering from inadvertent stall. That AD also provides an optional termina

Superseded directives are excluded from these counts. Directives apply by type — no database can tell you whether a given airframe complied. Only its logbooks can, and that is the single most important paperwork check of your pre-buy.

Ownership turnover

Comparing monthly FAA registry snapshots from Aug 2023 to Jun 2026, 617 of the 2,552 observed Cessna 206 Stationair airframes — 24.2% — changed registrant at least once. This includes registrant-name changes that are not market sales — such as a transfer to an owner's LLC or trust — and newly delivered aircraft registered to their first buyer within the window. A recent ownership change is not a red flag by itself, but a rapid succession of owners deserves a direct question to the seller, and the registration timeline of the specific aircraft is worth reading before you negotiate.

Before you buy a Cessna 206 Stationair

A records-driven starting checklist for this type — derived from the figures above, to hand to your mechanic:

1. Inspect the reciprocating engine closely — it is among the most-reported systems for this type in FAA Service Difficulty Reports (71 reports fleet-wide).
2. Inspect the ignition closely — it is among the most-reported systems for this type in FAA Service Difficulty Reports (37 reports fleet-wide).
3. Inspect the electrical power closely — it is among the most-reported systems for this type in FAA Service Difficulty Reports (27 reports fleet-wide).
4. Verify in the logbooks that the 6 recurring airworthiness directives matched to this type are signed off at the required intervals.
5. Confirm engine and airframe times against the logbooks and the most recent annual inspection.
6. Have a licensed A&P/IA perform a physical pre-purchase inspection — no records check replaces it.