Guides
Practical, no-nonsense guides to aircraft records and due diligence — how the federal databases work, what they can tell you, and where they end.
- How to check if a plane has been in an accident
Free, step-by-step: use the tail number to pull NTSB accident records, FAA registration history, and what those records do and don’t tell you.
updated Jul 7, 2026
- What an NTSB probable cause means (and how to read one)
How NTSB accident investigations work, what a probable-cause finding is, and how to interpret one when researching an aircraft.
updated Jul 7, 2026
- How to find out who owns a plane (by tail number)
Aircraft ownership is public record in the US. How to look up the registered owner of any plane free, and what trustee registrations mean.
updated Jul 7, 2026
- Tail numbers explained: what an N-number tells you
How US aircraft registration numbers work — format, history, reuse, and why the same tail number can belong to different aircraft over time.
updated Jul 7, 2026
- FAA registry vs. NTSB records: what each database tells you
The two federal databases behind every aircraft history check — what the FAA registry contains, what the NTSB database contains, and the gaps in both.
updated Jul 7, 2026
- Buying a used aircraft: the records to pull first
A practical order of operations for aircraft due diligence — free federal records first, then title search, logbooks, and the pre-purchase inspection.
updated Jul 7, 2026
Also see the data study: NTSB accident records per 100 airframes, by model.