Field guides to the federal record
Aviation lookup guides
The questions people actually bring to aviation records — who owns that plane, is this mechanic an IA, where’s the NTSB report — answered properly, with the fastest way to run each lookup.
Aircraft lookups
N-number lookup: how to look up any aircraft
The FAA registry answers one field at a time. Here's what a real tail number lookup can tell you — and how to search it the way you actually think.
Read the guide →Aircraft owner lookup: who owns that plane?
Ownership is public record, but the name on the registration is often an LLC or a trustee bank. How to find the owner — and read through the paperwork.
Read the guide →Deregistered aircraft: what happened to that N-number?
The plane you soloed in isn't in the registry anymore. That's not a dead end — deregistration records tell you exactly where the trail goes next.
Read the guide →How many aircraft of a type are registered? Getting exact counts
“How many 182s are still flying?” gets forum guesses. The registry has an exact answer — if your tool can count. Here's how to pull real fleet numbers.
Read the guide →Pilots & mechanics
FAA pilot lookup: searching the airmen registry properly
The official airmen search wants an exact last name and gives you no geography. Here's how to search a million airmen the way the question actually arrives.
Read the guide →How to verify a pilot's certificate (including Part 107)
Anyone can claim a certificate. The registry settles it in seconds — if you know what to check, and what a registry lookup can and can't prove.
Read the guide →How to find an A&P or IA mechanic near you
Every owner eventually needs an IA on short notice. The FAA's designee search won't sort by distance — here's the tool that does, and how to use it.
Read the guide →How to find a DPE for your checkride
The checkride is scheduled around one scarce human: the DPE. How to find every examiner in range — and stop losing weeks to phone tag.
Read the guide →How to find a CFI near you (by airport, not zip code)
Schools list their staff; the registry lists everyone. How to find every CFI around your field — including the one with time in your exact airplane.
Read the guide →Accidents & NTSB
NTSB accident report lookup: finding any report since 1948
CAROL has the records and everyone struggles to get them out. How to pull any NTSB report — by tail, place, date, or severity — in plain words.
Read the guide →Aircraft accident history by tail number: the complete check
The pre-buy question that matters most: has this airframe been bent? How to run the accident check properly — including the identities it wore before.
Read the guide →When is the NTSB report released? Preliminary vs final
A crash is in the news and everyone wants the report. Here's exactly when each NTSB document posts — and how to be notified the moment it does.
Read the guide →Aircraft records search before you buy: history, title & red flags
The pre-buy inspects the metal; the records check inspects the story. What to pull on any aircraft before you're emotionally committed — and what it costs.
Read the guide →The sky keeps records.
Now you can read them.
Free to download, with free searches every month. The full federal aviation record — one search box away.