N-number lookup: searching the FAA aircraft registry
Every aircraft registered in the United States has a public record keyed to its N-number, maintained by the FAA. Anyone can search it. If you've never pulled a registry record before, it's worth doing once just to see how much is in there — and if you pull them all the time, it's worth knowing what the record doesn't say.
Here's how N-number lookups work, field by field, and how to layer registration history and accident data on top of the FAA's current-status snapshot.
What's in an FAA registry record
A registry record ties the N-number to a specific airframe by serial number — that pairing matters, because N-numbers move between aircraft over the years. The core fields:
- Manufacturer and model — what the aircraft is, per its type certificate
- Serial number — the airframe's permanent identity, assigned at the factory
- Year of manufacture
- Registered owner — name and address of the person, company, or trust
- Certificate issue date — when the current registration took effect (a clue that ownership changed)
- Airworthiness class — standard, experimental, light-sport, and so on
- Status — valid, expired, deregistered, or exported
Reading between the fields
Experienced registry readers look at the certificate issue date first: a recent date on an older aircraft means a recent ownership change. An "experimental" airworthiness class on a factory design often means an interesting story. A registration held by a trust company in Delaware or Utah usually means the practical owner is someone else — trusts are a common (and legal) registration structure, especially for foreign owners.
Deregistered records are their own goldmine: they show aircraft that were exported, scrapped, or destroyed, and they're where an airframe's previous identities live. If you're researching an aircraft's full history, the deregistered file is half the story.
The FAA shows the present. History takes more.
The registry's one big limitation: it's a snapshot of current status. Previous owners, previous registrations on the same airframe, and the timeline of changes aren't in the public search — and that timeline is often exactly what you want, whether you're vetting a purchase or just curious how a 1978 Skyhawk ended up registered to an LLC in Montana.
SpotterLog's platform tracks registration and ownership changes over time and links each airframe's records across its identities. Look up an N-number and you get the FAA's current record plus the trail behind it — and if you're watching the aircraft, you'll be notified when the next change lands.
Frequently asked questions
How do I look up an N-number?+
Search the registration in SpotterLog (or the FAA's own N-number inquiry). You'll get the aircraft's make, model, serial, year, owner, and status. In SpotterLog the same search also brings registration history, NTSB records, and last-seen position data.
Why does an N-number lookup show a trust company as the owner?+
Aircraft are commonly registered through owner trusts — often required when the beneficial owner isn't a US citizen, and sometimes chosen for liability or privacy reasons. The trust is the legal registrant; the operator is someone else.
Can I look up a deregistered N-number?+
Yes — deregistered records are public and show what happened to the aircraft: exported, scrapped, or re-registered under a new number. That trail is essential for tracing an airframe's full history, and it's part of the data SpotterLog maintains.
How current is FAA registry data?+
The FAA updates the public registry continuously as paperwork processes, though ownership changes can take weeks from closing to appearing. SpotterLog syncs registry data regularly and alerts you when aircraft you follow change.
Put it into practice
SpotterLog is free to start — photograph an aircraft, and the app identifies it, logs the sighting, and pulls its registry, owner, and incident history automatically.