Cessna Citation Ii/Sp
Twin Jet· 37 globally registered
The Cessna Citation II is a light business jet that became one of the most successful corporate aircraft of the 1980s, building on the original Citation's reputation for economy and simplicity while adding meaningful performance improvements. Introduced in 1977 as the Model 550, it stretched the fuselage to seat up to eight passengers, added more powerful Pratt & Whitney JT15D-4 engines, and increased range to roughly 1,500 nautical miles, making it viable for true coast-to-coast missions in the United States. Cessna produced more than 650 Citation IIs and the improved Citation II/SP variant before transitioning to the Bravo in the mid-1990s, and the type remains popular in the owner-flown and charter markets for its straightforward systems, modest operating costs, and forgiving handling characteristics. The aircraft cruises at around 400 knots and reaches a service ceiling of 43,000 feet, respectable figures for a light jet that prioritized reliability and dispatch availability over raw speed. Its straight wing and docile stall behavior made it a favorite among pilots stepping up from piston twins, while its relatively short runway performance allowed access to smaller airports that larger jets couldn't serve. SkyMeter has tracked 35 flights across 13 airframes and 10 operators, with REGISTRATION PENDING among the most active observed operators.
Safety in context
The incident rate counts flights with ANY safety event detected by SkyMeter: go-arounds (a routine response, not a failure), unstable-approach gate flags (advisory thresholds), rejected takeoffs (the system working as designed), and runway events. It is NOT an accident rate or fatality rate. For accident statistics, refer to the NTSB Aviation Accident Database (USA) or the Aviation Safety Network. See methodology for what each event type measures.
Performance
Speed envelope & approach
Dimensions
Airframe geometry
Weight & identification
Operating limits
Top operators
By fleet size · last 7 days
Safety profile
Flagged flights · last 7 days
Family
Related variants
Recent incidents
Flagged flights of C551
Recent flights
Real flights of C551 · airborne ≥ 20 min




