Cessna Citation 500 for Sale (500-0081)

€440,000

Available now: 2001 Citation Bravo — $2,300,000

Aircraft Specifications

Asking Price
€440,000
Model
500 Citation
Serial
500-0081
Airframe
6,475 hrs
Engines
2 × P&W JT15D-1A
Engine time
L: 9,920 hrs / 11,004 cycles, 3,099 SMOH; R: 4,709 hrs / 4,599 cycles, 2,282 SMOH (3,500 TBO)
Paint
White with blue stripes (8/10)
Seats
7

Avionics

Description

Cessna Citation 500, serial number 500-0081, offered at €440,000. The airframe shows 6,475 hours total time and 6,690 landings. It is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-1A turbofans: the left engine has 9,920 hours and 11,004 cycles total, with 3,099 hours since major overhaul; the right engine has 4,709 hours and 4,599 cycles total, with 2,282 hours since overhaul, both against a 3,500-hour TBO. Phase 1-2-3-4-B and Phase 5 inspections are reported as just completed, and maintenance is tracked on SierraTrax. The aircraft is equipped and certified for IFR flight and is P-RNAV and LPV approved. The panel includes a Garmin GNS 530AW and GNS 430AW with 8.33 kHz spacing and FM immunity, a Honeywell FGS 70 flight director and autopilot, a Garmin GTX 330DES Mode S transponder, Collins DME-40, dual ADF-60A, a Collins ALT-50 radio altimeter and a Bendix King RDR-1200 weather radar. Additional equipment includes an angle of attack system, the Sierra radome modification, fan/turbine synchronization and the JT15D-1A (102.1%) authorization. The Poltrona Frau interior has blue leather seats, blue wool carpet and ultrasuede headliners, seating seven including an aft flushing toilet seat, with writing tables at the club seats. Exterior is white with blue stripes, rated 8/10. The aircraft has been hangared and was operated under a German AOC (EU-OPS).

Consultant's Notes

The short version

This is a Cessna Citation 500 for sale: serial number 500-0081, an early-production example of the original Model 500, with 6,475 hours total time and 6,690 landings on the airframe. It has two Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-1A engines. The left engine shows 9,920 hours and 11,004 cycles total, with 3,099 hours since major overhaul against a 3,500-hour TBO. The right engine shows 4,709 hours and 4,599 cycles total, with 2,282 hours since overhaul. The panel is built around a Garmin GNS 530AW and GNS 430AW with 8.33 kHz spacing and FM immunity, a Honeywell FGS 70 flight director and autopilot, and P-RNAV and LPV approvals. Phase 1-2-3-4-B and Phase 5 inspections are reported as just completed. The cabin seats seven. The asking price is €440,000. The year of manufacture is not stated in the specification and will be confirmed from the aircraft documents on request.

What this airplane is

The Model 500 is the original Citation, the straight-wing twin-turbofan jet that Cessna certified in the early 1970s to move piston-twin and turboprop owners into jets. Serial 500-0081 sits early in that production run. That matters for two reasons. First, this is the simplest Citation to own: two JT15D-1A engines, conventional systems, and a straight wing that is forgiving on shorter and less-than-perfect runways. Second, it is an old design with old-design performance. It is slower and shorter-legged than later Citations, and it is best suited to regional trips where a fuel stop on a longer day is acceptable.

If you already know straight-wing Citations, there are few surprises here. If you are stepping up from a turboprop, this is a genuine jet at a price close to many turboprops. If you are looking for a modern glass cockpit, long range, or a low-time collector airframe, this is not that airplane, and it is better said here than discovered on a viewing.

Who this Citation 500 makes sense for

- An owner-pilot or small operator moving up from a turboprop who wants jet speed and altitude without the acquisition cost of a later Citation. - A European operator who needs 8.33 kHz radios, FM immunity, P-RNAV and LPV already in place. These are done on this airplane, which removes a common first-year expense. - A buyer who understands that the value of an older jet is in its engines and its paperwork. That is the honest way to look at this aircraft, and the rest of this review is written that way.

It makes less sense for a buyer who wants to fly single-pilot without further work. The Model 500 is certificated for a two-pilot crew. Single-pilot operation depends on the rules of the registry and on any exemption or approval available there, so confirm this before you build your plan around it.

The engines are the real story

On any older Citation, the engines are a large share of the value, and the two engines on this airplane are at very different points in their lives.

Left engine: 3,099 hours since major overhaul against a 3,500-hour TBO. That leaves about 401 hours before overhaul. For a typical private owner, that is not many years of flying. Plan the purchase as if the left engine overhaul is part of the deal, because in practice it is.

Right engine: 2,282 hours since overhaul, leaving about 1,218 hours to TBO. That is a comfortable margin.

Two further points are worth your attention. The left engine has 9,920 hours total, more than the airframe's 6,475 hours, which means it has been installed on other airframes during its life. That is common and not a problem in itself, but the records must trace that engine back through its full history, including every shop visit. Second, no engine maintenance program is listed. Ask the seller to confirm whether either engine is enrolled in a program, and if not, budget accordingly.

Before making an offer, we would ask a JT15D shop for a written overhaul quote for the left engine and an estimate for the next hot-section work on both. Then negotiate the price against the hours remaining, not against the headline number. That is the single most important step on this airplane.

Avionics and equipment

The panel is practical rather than modern, and it is set up for European airspace:

- Garmin GNS 530AW and GNS 430AW, both with 8.33 kHz spacing and FM immunity - P-RNAV and LPV approved - Honeywell FGS 70 flight director and autopilot - Garmin GTX 330DES Mode S transponder, plus two Rockwell Collins TDR-90 Mode C transponders - Collins DME-40, two ADF-60A, AVI-200 RMI, KMR-675 marker beacon - Rockwell Collins ALT-50 radio altimeter - Bendix King RDR-1200 weather radar - Kannad 406 ELT

Additional equipment includes an angle of attack system, the Sierra radome modification, fan/turbine synchronization, an instrument panel cooling fan, a COM1 frequency change switch on the pilot's yoke, two clocks, cabin signs and chimes, pick-proof locks including at the radome, and the JT15D-1A (102.1%) authorization. Emergency equipment includes two halon fire extinguishers, nine life vests and PBE, and the oxygen system has a 60 cubic foot capacity. The battery is a Gill lead-acid unit.

One item to check: confirm the ADS-B Out compliance status for the airspace where you plan to operate. A Mode S Extended Squitter transponder is installed, but compliance depends on the full installation and its approval, not on the transponder alone.

Cabin and exterior

The interior was made by Poltrona Frau: blue leather seats, blue wool carpet and ultrasuede headliners. There are six seats plus an aft seat over a flushing toilet, for seven seats in total. Writing tables are fitted at the club seats, and there is a drawer under one of the right-hand seats. A refreshment center with bar is listed as optional or spare equipment, so confirm whether it is installed or supplied with the airplane. The cockpit has monorail sun visors.

The exterior is white with blue stripes, rated 8/10 by the seller. Photos are useful, but paint and interior condition should be judged in person or by your inspector.

Maintenance, records and paperwork: what to verify

The positives are real. Phase 1-2-3-4-B and Phase 5 inspections are reported as just completed, maintenance is tracked on SierraTrax, the airplane is hangared, and it has been operated under a German AOC under EU-OPS. A commercial operator usually means disciplined maintenance and complete records. It can also mean higher utilization, so look at both sides.

Here is what we would ask for before signing anything:

- Inspection sign-offs. The dates and the shop that completed the Phase 1-2-3-4-B and Phase 5 inspections, with the work orders. - Airworthiness review status. A current airworthiness review certificate (ARC) or the equivalent for the registry. Ask for the current document, not a description of it. - Damage history. Ask the seller to confirm the damage history in writing, together with any repair documentation and approvals. Form your view on value only after reviewing those records. - Engine records. Full traceability for both engines, especially the left one, and confirmation of any engine program. - Registration and location. The current registration and where the aircraft is based, so you can plan inspection, any import and delivery. - Pre-purchase inspection. At a shop with real Citation 500 experience, including borescope inspections of both engines and a review of compliance with airworthiness directives and service bulletins.

How we would approach the price

At €440,000, this Citation 500 is priced as an entry-level jet. That price is attractive only if you treat the left engine overhaul as part of the cost of ownership from the first day. With that in mind, the useful questions are simple: how many hours does the left engine really have left, what will its overhaul cost, and how does that compare with similar airplanes that have more engine time remaining? A buyer who answers those three questions before making an offer will pay the right price for this airplane.

Frequently asked questions

What year is this Citation 500? The year of manufacture is not stated in the specification. Serial 500-0081 is an early-production Model 500; the exact year will be confirmed from the logbooks and registration documents.

How many hours does the aircraft have? 6,475 hours total time on the airframe and 6,690 landings. The left engine has 3,099 hours since overhaul and the right engine 2,282 hours, both against a 3,500-hour TBO.

When will the engines need overhaul? The left engine has about 401 hours to TBO and the right engine about 1,218 hours. No engine program is listed, so budget for the left engine overhaul as part of the purchase.

How many people does it seat? Seven seats in the cabin, including an aft seat over a flushing toilet.

Is it ready for European airspace? It has 8.33 kHz radios, FM immunity, a Mode S transponder, and P-RNAV and LPV approvals. Confirm the ADS-B Out compliance status for your intended operation.

Has the aircraft had damage? The damage history must be confirmed in writing by the seller with repair documentation. We do not state it either way until those records have been reviewed.

Can it be flown single-pilot? The Model 500 is certificated for a two-pilot crew. Single-pilot operation depends on the registry and on any applicable exemption, so confirm before purchase.