How to Look Up Any Aircraft by N-Number: Registration, History, and Accidents
Every US-registered civil aircraft has a public record. Whether you're researching a potential purchase, verifying a registration, or just curious about an aircraft you spotted at an unfamiliar airport, the information is available — you just need to know where to look.
What the FAA Registry Contains
The FAA's civil aviation registry is a public database containing:
- Registration status: Current, expired, canceled, or reserved
- Owner information: Name (individual or entity) and state
- Aircraft data: Make, model, year manufactured, serial number, engine type
- Registration history: Changes in ownership over time
- Certificate type: Standard, limited, experimental, etc.
The full registry is searchable at the FAA's website, or you can use Aeradex's N-number lookup at aeradex.com/lookup for a faster, consolidated view.
What the Registry Doesn't Contain
The FAA registry is registration data only — it doesn't include:
- Maintenance history (that's in the aircraft logbooks)
- Full accident history (that's in NTSB records, cross-referenced separately)
- Liens and security interests in full detail (those are in UCC filings, though we surface a lien indicator)
- Airworthiness directives specific to the aircraft's configuration
For a complete picture before purchasing, you need multiple sources.
How to Look Up an Aircraft
Option 1: FAA Registry directly Go to registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry and search by N-number, serial number, or owner name. The interface is functional but basic.
Option 2: Aeradex N-Number Lookup Aeradex.com/lookup provides a cleaner interface that surfaces registration status, owner state, lien indicator, accident count from NTSB data, applicable AD count for the make/model, and last registration date — all from a single search. No account required. Rate limited to 10 lookups per hour for public use.
Understanding What You Find
"Current" registration: The aircraft has a valid registration in the name shown. This does not confirm airworthiness.
"Expired" registration: The registration has lapsed. The aircraft cannot be flown legally until renewed. This is a red flag if you're considering purchase — it may indicate the aircraft has been inactive or the owner has been neglecting administrative requirements.
Lien indicator: If a lien appears, it means a security interest is recorded against the aircraft. This is common with financing, but needs to be investigated before purchase. A lien doesn't automatically mean trouble — it may be a standard loan that will be paid off at closing — but you need to confirm it's addressed in the purchase agreement.
Accident count: Cross-referenced from NTSB accident/incident data. Any accident history warrants deeper investigation into the logbooks and maintenance records.
AD count: Airworthiness Directives applicable to the make/model. This is the count for the type — whether any ADs are outstanding on the specific aircraft depends on the maintenance logbooks.
Is This Your Aircraft?
If you looked up your own aircraft and want to track it in one place, Aeradex's free Hangar account lets you add verified aircraft to your profile, track registration expiry, receive renewal reminders, and access document automation tools.
Verification requires the last 4 digits of your serial number matched against FAA records — this ensures only actual owners can save an aircraft to their Hangar, not just anyone who knows an N-number.
Using N-Number Lookup for Aircraft Pre-Purchase
A free N-number lookup is the minimum due diligence before any aircraft purchase. It takes two minutes and tells you:
- Whether the registration is current in the seller's name (it should be)
- Whether there are any recorded liens to investigate
- Whether there's accident history to dig into further
- Whether the aircraft has been recently active (recent registration renewal is a positive signal)
For more complete pre-purchase research, Aeradex's pre-purchase aircraft report ($9.99) pulls together a comprehensive history from multiple data sources. But start with the free N-number lookup — it's two minutes and it's free.