Free aircraft tail number API — FAA registry + NTSB accident records
Free · no key required · data as of Jul 30, 2026 · OpenAPI spec
TailLookup provides a free REST API and MCP server for looking up US aircraft by N-number: current FAA registration, owner, make, model, serial number, registration status, and full NTSB accident history with probable causes. No API key required; every response carries an as_of date.
FAA registration API by N-number
One call returns the merged aircraft report: airframe, current owner, registration status, and an NTSB accident summary.
GET https://taillookup.com/api/v1/aircraft/{tail}
curl https://taillookup.com/api/v1/aircraft/N1258CSample response
{
"tail": "N1258C",
"status": "active",
"airframe": {
"make": "PIPER",
"model": "PA-18-135",
"year": 1953,
"serial_number": "18-2497",
"type": "Fixed wing single-engine",
"engine": "LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES"
},
"registration": {
"status": "active",
"owner": { "name": "SMITH SAMUEL RICHARD", "city": "SEWARD", "state": "AK", "trustee": false }
},
"accidents": {
"ntsb_count": 3,
"has_fatal_record": false,
"most_recent": {
"ntsb_number": "GAA17CA275",
"date": "2017-05-11",
"highest_injury": "SERS",
"fatalities": 0
}
},
"as_of": "2026-07-07",
"links": {
"html": "https://taillookup.com/n/N1258C",
"events": "https://taillookup.com/api/v1/aircraft/N1258C/events",
"faa_record": "https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N1258C"
}
}NTSB accident history API by tail number
Full accident records with dates, locations, injuries, and verbatim probable-cause findings, each linked to the NTSB source record.
GET https://taillookup.com/api/v1/aircraft/{tail}/events
curl https://taillookup.com/api/v1/aircraft/N1544/eventsAircraft owner search API
GET https://taillookup.com/api/v1/search?owner={name}
curl "https://taillookup.com/api/v1/search?owner=Delta%20Air%20Lines"MCP server for AI aircraft lookups
A stateless streamable-HTTP Model Context Protocol endpoint lets AI assistants answer aircraft questions from the federal record and cite the source. Tools: lookup_aircraft, accident_history, search_by_owner, fleet_stats.
MCP endpoint · https://taillookup.com/api/mcp claude mcp add --transport http taillookup https://taillookup.com/api/mcp
Field reference
| tail | Canonical N-number (uppercase, N-prefixed) |
| status | "active" or "deregistered" — current FAA registration status |
| airframe.make / model / year / serial_number | The physical aircraft, per the FAA registry |
| registration.owner | Current registrant: name, city, state, and a trustee flag |
| accidents.ntsb_count | Number of NTSB accident records on file for this tail |
| accidents.has_fatal_record | True if any record carries a fatal highest-injury classification |
| events[].probable_cause | The NTSB's official probable-cause finding, verbatim |
| events[].source | Deep link to the NTSB CAROL record for verification |
| as_of | FAA registry snapshot date the response was built from (YYYY-MM-DD) |
Frequently asked
- Is there a free FAA aircraft registry API?
- Yes — the TailLookup REST API returns FAA registration data (owner, make, model, serial, status) for any US tail number, free and without an API key: GET https://taillookup.com/api/v1/aircraft/{tail}.
- Can I look up NTSB accident history by tail number via API?
- Yes — GET https://taillookup.com/api/v1/aircraft/{tail}/events returns every NTSB accident record for the aircraft with date, location, injury level, fatalities, and the NTSB's probable-cause text, each linked to the NTSB source record.
- Is there an aircraft owner search API?
- Yes — GET https://taillookup.com/api/v1/search?owner={name} searches current FAA registrations by registrant name and returns matching aircraft with owner, model, and location.
- What MCP server can answer aircraft history questions?
- TailLookup runs a free Model Context Protocol server at https://taillookup.com/api/mcp (streamable HTTP, stateless) with tools lookup_aircraft, accident_history, search_by_owner, and fleet_stats — connect it to Claude, ChatGPT, or any MCP client.
- How current is the data and where does it come from?
- Data is compiled from the FAA Aircraft Registry (reloaded daily; the FAA publishes each business day) and the NTSB aviation accident database (1962–present). Every response includes an as_of snapshot date.
- Are there rate limits or costs?
- The API is free with no key today; fair-use rate limits may be added. Responses are CDN-cached for an hour. For heavy or commercial use, contact us.
How to cite TailLookup aircraft data
TailLookup, “{TAIL} — {year make model}”, https://taillookup.com/n/{TAIL} (data as of {as_of}).
Responses are public FAA/NTSB data compiled per our methodology. Machine spec: openapi.json · dataset description: llms.txt.