# FAA Aircraft Registry API by N-number

> Look up any US tail number and get the FAA’s public record as JSON: owner, airframe, engine and certificate dates, plus the document receipts from the last 180 days.

Canonical page: https://scrapercompany.com/faa-aircraft-registry-api. Endpoints and prices checked against the API on 2026-11-06.

The FAA publishes its aircraft registry through a web form, one number at a time. This API takes an N-number and returns that record with named fields, so you can check a fleet, watch for new filings or enrich aircraft data without parsing pages.

The answer says what the number is. An assigned number returns the aircraft and its owner. A reserved number returns the reservation and who holds it. A deregistered or unassigned number answers 404 and costs nothing.

## What you get

- `n_number, number_status`: the normalized tail number, and whether it is assigned or reserved
- `status, serial_number`: the FAA’s registration status and the airframe serial
- `manufacturer, model, mfr_year`: who built the aircraft, the model and the year
- `aircraft_type, engine_type`: such as fixed wing single-engine, and reciprocating or turbo-fan
- `certificate_issue_date, expiration_date`: when the registration was issued and when it expires
- `mode_s_octal, mode_s_hex`: the aircraft’s Mode S transponder codes
- `owner`: name and address as registered, with withheld set when the owner asked the FAA to keep them private
- `airworthiness`: classification, category, date, and engine maker and model
- `reservation`: for a reserved number: type, dates and the reserving party
- `documents`: receipts from the last 180 days: document type, party when published, receipt date and count

## Endpoints and price per call

| Endpoint | Method and path | What it returns | Credits per successful call | Price per call |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Registration](https://scrapercompany.com/docs/reference/aircraft-registration) | `POST /v1/aircraft/registration` | The current FAA record for one N-number | 2 credits | $0.0024 on Starter, $0.0020 on Growth, $0.0016 on Scale, $0.0013 on Business |
| [Document receipts](https://scrapercompany.com/docs/reference/aircraft-documents) | `POST /v1/aircraft/documents` | FAA receipts for one N-number from the last 180 days | 2 credits | $0.0024 on Starter, $0.0020 on Growth, $0.0016 on Scale, $0.0013 on Business |
| [Both](https://scrapercompany.com/docs/reference/aircraft-records) | `POST /v1/aircraft/records` | Registration and receipts in one call | 4 credits | $0.0049 on Starter, $0.0040 on Growth, $0.0032 on Scale, $0.0027 on Business |

Pricing: free trial of 50 calls or 14 days, whichever ends first, no card needed; Starter $49/month for 40,000 credits; Growth $149/month for 150,000 credits; Scale $399/month for 500,000 credits; Business $999/month for 1,500,000 credits; credit packs $15 for 7,500, $60 for 35,000, $200 for 125,000 (valid 12 months). Failed requests (4xx or 5xx) and empty results cost 0 credits. https://scrapercompany.com/pricing

## Example

`POST /v1/aircraft/registration`, 2 credits per successful call.

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.scrapercompany.com/v1/aircraft/registration" \
  -H "x-api-key: $SCRAPERCOMPANY_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "n_number": "N172SP"
  }'
```

Response (trimmed):

```json
{
  "search_parameters": {
    "engine": "aircraft_registration",
    "n_number": "N100HY"
  },
  "n_number": "N100HY",
  "number_status": "assigned",
  "status": "Valid",
  "serial_number": "2100",
  "manufacturer": "AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC",
  "model": "A-1B",
  "aircraft_type": "Fixed Wing Single-Engine",
  "engine_type": "Reciprocating",
  "certificate_issue_date": "10/15/2026",
  "expiration_date": "10/31/2033",
  "mode_s_octal": "50002572",
  "mode_s_hex": "A0057A",
  "type_registration": "LLC",
  "fractional_owner": "NO",
  "dealer": "No",
  "owner": {
    "name": "LAKE HOPPERS SEAPLANE ACADEMY LLC",
    "street": "2615 N NOKOMIS NE",
    "city": "ALEXANDRIA",
    "state": "MINNESOTA",
    "county": "DOUGLAS",
    "postal_code": "56308-8615",
    "country": "UNITED STATES",
    "other_names": [],
    "withheld": false
  },
  "airworthiness": {
    "classification": "Standard",
    "category": "Normal",
    "date": "07/24/2008",
    "engine_manufacturer": "LYCOMING",
    "engine_model": "O-360 SERIES",
    "type_certificate": "A-22CE",
    "type_certificate_holder": "AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC",
    "exception_code": "No"
  },
  "source_url": "https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Search/NNumberInquiry",
  "full_record_url": "https://aircraft.faa.gov/e.gov/nd/"
}
```

## FAQ

### Does the FAA have an aircraft registry API?

The FAA offers a web inquiry form and a downloadable database, but no API for looking up one number. This API is independent of the FAA and returns the public record as JSON.

### Can I use this to prove clear title?

No. The FAA’s public site shows only the last 180 days of document receipts, so this is a recent-filing monitor and not a chain of title or a legal opinion. A receipt is not a lien status: a release may predate the window. Every response links to the FAA page for ordering the full aircraft record.

### Why is the owner empty on some aircraft?

Owners can ask the FAA to keep their details private under 49 U.S.C. 44114. The FAA blanks those fields and the response sets withheld to true. We do not try to fill them in from anywhere else.

### What happens with a reserved or deregistered number?

A reserved number is a real record, so it returns 200 with the reservation and who holds it, and it is billed like any other answer. A deregistered or unassigned number answers 404 and is free. A number the FAA could never issue, such as one with an I or an O, answers 422 and is free.

### What does a call cost?

2 credits for registration, 2 for document receipts and 4 for both together. An empty document window, a number with no current registration and any failed call are free.

### How fresh is the data?

Each call reads the FAA’s live record, which the FAA updates each federal working day.

### Do failed requests cost credits?

No. A failed or blocked call (any 4xx or 5xx response) costs 0 credits, and so does a search page that comes back empty. You pay only for successful results.

### How do I get an API key?

Create an account on the sign-up page and verify your email. You get a free trial of 50 calls or 14 days, whichever ends first, no card needed on the travel endpoints (hotels, vacation rentals, flights, reviews; not car rental); for everything else, and after the trial, buy a credit pack (from $15) or pick a plan. You create and rotate keys yourself in the dashboard.

## Read next

- [Aircraft registration reference](https://scrapercompany.com/docs/reference/aircraft-registration)
- [FAA document receipts reference](https://scrapercompany.com/docs/reference/aircraft-documents)
- [SEC filings](https://scrapercompany.com/docs/data-sources/sec-edgar)
- [All APIs](https://scrapercompany.com/apis.md)