About TailNumberLookup

TailNumberLookup is a free public tool for searching FAA aircraft registration data. Every civil aircraft registered in the United States has a unique N-number on file with the FAA — this site makes those records fast and easy to find.

What This Site Does

The FAA publishes aircraft registration data as a public record through the Releasable Aircraft Registry bulk download. TailNumberLookup ingests this data and makes it searchable in several ways:

• N-number lookup — search any tail number to see the registered owner, make, model, year, engine, and registration status
• Owner search — find all aircraft registered to a person, company, airline, or flight school
• Browse by state — see every aircraft registered in a given state, filtered by type
• Browse by make — explore all aircraft from a specific manufacturer like Cessna or Piper
• Browse by type — filter by single engine, rotorcraft, glider, balloon, and more
• Rankings — largest fleet owners, most popular models, top manufacturers by type
• Deregistered aircraft — historical records of cancelled N-number registrations

The Data

All aircraft data comes directly from FAA bulk downloads, which include four primary files:

• MASTER.txt — one row per currently registered aircraft, including owner name, address, aircraft type, and registration status
• ACFTREF.txt — aircraft make/model reference data, covering seats, weight class, airworthiness category, and aircraft type for each FAA type certificate
• ENGINE.txt — engine reference data, including manufacturer, model, horsepower, and engine type
• DEREG.txt — deregistered and cancelled aircraft, including cancellation date and last known owner

Data is updated regularly from the FAA's official bulk download. The footer of every page shows the date of the most recent refresh. For real-time or legally binding information, always verify with the official FAA Aircraft Registry Inquiry.

Who This Is For

TailNumberLookup is used by pilots, aviation enthusiasts, aircraft buyers and sellers, researchers, journalists, and anyone curious about who owns a particular airplane. The FAA registry is a public record — this site simply makes it easier to navigate.

Disclaimer

This site is for informational purposes only. Registration data reflects the FAA registry at the time of the last data update and may not capture recent transfers, cancellations, or corrections. Do not rely on this data for legal, safety, or regulatory purposes. See our full disclaimer for details.