Check an aircraft’s FAA registration history, NTSB accident records and FAA service difficulty reports before you make an offer. Search by N-number or serial number. Lenders, brokers and buyers can bookmark or share any result.
Search an aircraft's history
FAA registration, NTSB accident records and FAA service difficulty reports in one search. Free, no login.
How to read the results
- Registration snapshot: current FAA status, owner type, registered state and airworthiness class. Owner names are not shown.
- Registration history: every N-number this airframe has held, matched on serial number and manufacturer, including deregistrations and exports.
- NTSB accident records: accidents the NTSB investigated, with aircraft damage and injury level. Use the NTSB number to read the full report on NTSB CAROL.
- Service difficulty reports: mechanical problems reported to the FAA. Most are routine, but repeated reports on the same system are worth asking about.
How damage history affects your loan
Lenders weigh damage history, logbook completeness and the quality of past repairs when they set loan-to-value. A disclosed, well-documented repair usually matters less than missing records. Read how logbooks, overhauls and damage history affect aircraft value and our aircraft appraisal and LTV guide, then get pre-approved. Checking your options has no impact on your credit.
Before you make an offer
Decode times, damage notes and what’s missing. Aircraft buyer’s guide
From search to closing, step by step. Aircraft comparison engine
Compare models side by side. Airplane loan calculator
Estimate your monthly payment. Live aircraft loan rates
Today’s rates by loan size and term. Aircraft sales tax by state
Plan for tax where you’ll base the airplane. Financing an aircraft in an LLC
How ownership structure affects your loan. Aircraft specification form
Send us the airplane you’re considering.
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Tell us how to reach you and a FLYING Finance specialist will follow up to talk through rates, down payment and timing for the aircraft you have in mind.
- No credit pull to start the conversation
- Pre-approval decisions in 2–3 business days
- Pilots on staff who know your aircraft
Prefer to call? (702) 757-1176
Frequently asked questions
Where does this aircraft history data come from?
Registration data comes from the FAA Releasable Aircraft Database, refreshed weekly. Accident records come from the NTSB aviation accident database, updated monthly. Mechanical problem reports come from FAA Service Difficulty Reports. All three are public-domain US Government data.
Does a clean result mean the airplane has no damage history?
No. These databases only include events that were reported to the NTSB or FAA. Minor damage, repairs documented only in the logbooks, and Form 337 major repair records are not online. Use this search alongside a title search, the FAA aircraft records, a full logbook review and a pre-buy inspection.
Why search by serial number instead of N-number?
N-numbers can be changed or reassigned to a different aircraft. The serial number stays with the airframe, so we match records on serial number plus manufacturer and show every N-number that airframe has held.
Can lenders and brokers link to a result?
Yes. Every search has a shareable link, for example flyingfinance.com/aircraft-history-lookup/?n=N12345, and the page shows the source and refresh date for each dataset.
Does damage history affect aircraft financing?
It can. Lenders look at damage history, completeness of logbooks and the quality of repairs when they set loan-to-value. Disclosed, well-documented repairs usually matter less than gaps in the records.
Sources
FAA Releasable Aircraft Database (refreshed weekly) · NTSB aviation accident data (updated monthly, 1962 to present) · FAA Service Difficulty Reports (1995 to present, general aviation) · FAA Accident and Incident Data System (linked, not included). All are public-domain US Government data. FLYING Finance does not alter the records; we match them to airframes and present them. Report a problem: finance@flyingfinance.com.