Tail-number Tangle
By Jeff Wieand - June 1, 2010
When searching for a specific aircraft tail number, it’s easy to conclude that all the good ones are taken. The folks who operate the FAA registry in Oklahoma City, however, think they’ve found a way to make many of these “unavailable” registration numbers magically accessible to the rest of us.
Why does someone want a particular registration number? It may represent a wedding date or birthday or carry some other sentimental association. Or it might incorporate a company’s initials. The registration numbers of Corning Glass airplanes, for example, end in “CG.” Nervous fliers and gamblers sometimes want their “lucky” numbers on the tail. Whatever the reason, aircraft buyers can be disappointed when the number they have in mind is already assigned to another aircraft.
A recent story illustrates the problem. A business jet buyer decided he wanted a specific tail number we’ll call N123XX. A search on the FAA registry produced this dire-sounding warning: “This aircraft’s registration status may not be suitable for operation.” Further investigation revealed that N123XX had been assigned for use on a single-engine airplane, the registration status of which the FAA described as “in question.” It was right about that. After weeks of investigation, phone calls and Internet searches, my firm determined that, unbeknownst to the FAA, the same aircraft had two registration numbers. Someone we’ll call “Mr. A” had built the aircraft from a kit and registered it under N123XX, listing himself as the manufacturer. Mr. A had then sold the aircraft to Mr. B, who did more work on it–and then registered it under a different number, claiming himself as the manufacturer. Meanwhile, Mr. A had passed away and attempts to reach his spouse or executor had failed. When we finally tracked down Mr. B, it became clear that he wasn’t going to be of much help, either. This left N123XX in a sort of tail-number limbo that even the FAA couldn’t penetrate.
How many tail numbers reside in the twilight zone? The FAA estimates that nearly one-third of the approximately 350,000 civil aircraft on the U.S. registry are no longer eligible for registration. Registration conundrums include bad addresses, revoked certificates, destroyed or nonexistent airplanes and airplanes purchased where incomplete or inadequate documentation was filed–or where no documentation was filed at all. If all those “unavailable” N-numbers suddenly became usable, you might be able to get a number like N7UP or N711 for your aircraft.
The FAA has an answer: it issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would require every U.S.-registered civil aircraft to be re-registered. When the phantom aircraft holding N123XX, for example, fails to comply with the re-registration requirement, its registration would be canceled, and N123XX would once more become available. Over three years, all aircraft owners would be assigned a three-month period to file new registration paperwork. Thereafter, owners would be required to re-register their aircraft as frequently as every three years.
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