Aircraft Title Search: What It Is and Why You Need One Before Buying
Unlike cars, aircraft don't have traditional titles. There's no pink slip, no certificate of title issued by a state DMV. Instead, aircraft ownership is recorded through a chain of FAA documents — bills of sale, registration applications, and conveyances — all stored in the FAA Civil Aviation Registry in Oklahoma City.
An aircraft title search means going through that chain of documents to answer a simple question: is this aircraft legally free and clear for the seller to sell?
The answer isn't always yes. And finding out after you've already paid is expensive.
What a Title Search Reveals
A thorough aircraft title search reviews the FAA registry records for a specific N-number and uncovers:
Liens and encumbrances: If a previous owner financed the aircraft and never fully paid off the loan, the lender may have filed a security agreement with the FAA. That lien travels with the aircraft, not the owner. Buy a plane with an undisclosed lien and you've inherited someone else's debt.
Gaps in chain of title: Every ownership transfer in an aircraft's history should be documented with a properly executed bill of sale. If there's a gap — an owner who never filed their registration, a bill of sale that was never recorded — the chain of title is broken. Broken chains can make it difficult or impossible to register the aircraft in your name.
Improperly filed documents: Even when all the ownership transfers happened, paperwork errors are common. Names that don't match exactly between documents, missing signatures, incorrect aircraft descriptions — any of these can create problems when you try to register.
Outstanding registration issues: Aircraft registration must be renewed every seven years. A search will reveal if the current registration is valid or expired, and whether any registration applications are pending.
How Common Are Title Problems?
More common than most buyers expect. The FAA has estimated that approximately one-third of the 357,000 registered aircraft records it maintains contain inaccuracies. Many of these are harmless address changes that were never updated. But a meaningful number involve ownership and lien issues that can affect a buyer.
The GA aircraft market is also full of planes that have changed hands many times over decades. A 1972 Cessna 172 might have had eight or ten owners. Each of those transfers is an opportunity for a filing error or an undisclosed encumbrance.
What Documents Are Reviewed
A title search for a GA aircraft typically involves reviewing:
- All bills of sale in the FAA registry going back to the manufacturer or first registrant
- All registration applications and certificates
- Security agreements and lien filings
- Any recorded conveyances affecting the aircraft
- UCC filings if the aircraft was collateral for non-aviation debt
Do You Need a Title Search for a Private Sale?
Yes — especially for a private sale. When you buy through a dealer, they typically handle title issues as part of the transaction. In a private sale between individuals, it's entirely on the buyer to do due diligence.
The most common mistake first-time aircraft buyers make is skipping the title search because the seller seems trustworthy or the price seems right. Liens and title defects aren't always the seller's fault — they may not even know about them. A previous owner's unpaid loan doesn't disappear when the aircraft changes hands.
How to Get a Title Search
You have a few options:
DIY via FAA registry: You can order aircraft records directly from the FAA Civil Aviation Registry for a small fee. This gives you the raw documents but requires you to review them yourself and understand what you're looking at.
Title search services: Companies like Aerospace Reports offer dedicated aircraft title search services for around $85–$190 depending on what's included. They review the documents and provide a report on the title status.
Aeradex pre-purchase report: Aeradex offers a pre-purchase aircraft report that includes a lien check, full chain of title review, NTSB accident and incident history, and AD compliance status — all from a single N-number lookup. Your first report is free at aeradex.com.
The Bottom Line
A title search costs between $0 and $190 depending on how you get it done. The cost of buying an aircraft with an undisclosed lien or a broken chain of title can run into tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees and lost value.
Do the search. Every time. No exceptions.