# FAA Aircraft Registry Lookup - N-Number, Serial, Make/Model (`kdhan/faa-aircraft-registry`) Actor

Look up US civil aircraft by N-number, serial number or make/model from the official FAA Releasable Aircraft Database: model, engine, seats, status and dates. Public data, no API key. Individual owners' names and addresses are never returned.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/kdhan/faa-aircraft-registry.md
- **Developed by:** [Doohan Kim](https://apify.com/kdhan) (community)
- **Security:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $4.00 / 1,000 aircraft records

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## FAA Aircraft Registry Lookup - N-Number, Serial, Make/Model

Look up US civil aircraft by **N-number**, **serial number** or **make/model** (plus registrant state) from
the FAA's official **Releasable Aircraft Database**. No scraping, no API key. Each run downloads the
current FAA file (about 73 MB, refreshed by the FAA daily), indexes it, and returns one row per aircraft.

This is a lookup tool, not a mailing list: **names of individual owners, street addresses, cities and ZIP
codes are never returned.** Only the registrant type, state and country are shown. A registrant's name
appears only when the FAA record type is a corporation, LLC, non-citizen corporation or government body
and the name carries a company marker.

### What you get (one row per aircraft record)

| Section | Fields |
|---|---|
| Identity | `nNumber`, `serialNumber`, `yearManufactured`, `modeSCodeHex` |
| Model (joined from the FAA aircraft reference file) | `manufacturer`, `model`, `aircraftType`, `engineType`, `engineCount`, `engine` (maker, model, horsepower or thrust), `seats`, `weightClass` |
| Status | `status` (code translated to words), `isRegistered`, `recordSource` (registered or deregistered file) |
| Dates | `certificateIssueDate`, `airworthinessDate`, `expirationDate`, `cancelDate` (deregistered only), `lastActionDate` |
| Registrant | `registrantType`, `registrant.state`, `registrant.country`, `registrant.name` (organizations only), `registrant.nameWithheld` |
| Freshness | `dataAsOf` (date of the FAA file), `disclaimer` |

Not found inputs are returned as `found: false` with a reason and are not charged. If the FAA file
cannot be downloaded or has an unexpected layout, the run fails with an error row (`found: null`,
`error`): that is never a statement that the aircraft does not exist.

### Input

```json
{
  "makeModel": {"manufacturer": "CESSNA", "model": "172"},
  "state": "TX",
  "statusFilter": "registered",
  "maxResults": 50
}
```

(or `{"nNumbers": ["N755SK"]}`, or `{"serialNumbers": ["17268124"]}`)

All fields are optional. With no search field the Actor looks up an example aircraft (N755SK).
`nNumbers` and `serialNumbers` are lookups; `makeModel` (partial, case-insensitive), `state` (registrant
state) and `statusFilter` (`registered`, `deregistered`, `all`) filter them, or search the whole file when
no lookup is given. `maxResults` is 1-1000 (default 50). A malformed input fails the run with an English
error message.

### Things to know

- **Manufacturer names of home-built and light-sport aircraft are often an individual builder's name.**
  Those are returned as `manufacturer: null` with `manufacturerWithheld: true`, and cannot be used as a
  search filter. Type-certificated makers, names with a company marker, and names with 50 or more currently
  registered aircraft (kit makers) are shown. About 12% of registered aircraft have a withheld manufacturer.
- For the same reason, a **model** that repeats a withheld builder's name or an individual owner's name, and a
  **serial number** that contains an individual owner's surname (for example `DUNHAM 1` on a home-built
  aircraft), are returned as `null` with `modelWithheld` / `serialWithheld: true`. Looking an aircraft up by
  its serial number still works; the serial is just not echoed back.
- **Deregistered records** (the FAA's deregistered file) have no registrant type, so no name is ever shown
  for them. A deregistered N-number can have several historical records.
- "Registered" means the record is in the FAA's current registration file; the `status` field shows
  whether it is a valid registration or something else (pending, expired, N-number reserved, sale reported).
- Each run downloads the file again (about 4-6 seconds) and indexing takes 10-25 seconds, so runs are
  meant for batches of lookups, not one aircraft at a time.

### Pricing

Pay-per-event, event name `aircraft-record` (one aircraft record returned). Inputs that are not found
or that fail are not charged.

### Data source

FAA Aircraft Registry, Releasable Aircraft Database
(`registry.faa.gov/database/ReleasableAircraft.zip`, files MASTER, ACFTREF, ENGINE, DEREG).
The FAA states the data is refreshed daily at 11:30 pm central time. Derived from public FAA data;
not an official record. Confirm the current status of an aircraft in the official FAA Aircraft Registry.

# Actor input Schema

## `nNumbers` (type: `array`):

US registration marks, with or without the leading N, for example N755SK or 755SK.

## `serialNumbers` (type: `array`):

Manufacturer serial numbers (exact match). Different makers can share a serial, so combine with Make/model when needed.

## `makeModel` (type: `object`):

Partial, case-insensitive match, for example {"manufacturer": "CESSNA", "model": "172"}. Acts as a filter on N-numbers and serials too.

## `state` (type: `string`):

2-letter state code of the registered owner's address, for example TX. Only the state is ever returned, never the address.

## `statusFilter` (type: `string`):

Search currently registered records, deregistered records, or both.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Upper limit of aircraft records returned in total. You are charged per aircraft record found.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "nNumbers": [
    "N755SK"
  ],
  "statusFilter": "all",
  "maxResults": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `aircraft` (type: `string`):

Aircraft identity, model and engine, status, key dates, registrant type and state, data date and disclaimer.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "nNumbers": [
        "N755SK"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("kdhan/faa-aircraft-registry").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "nNumbers": ["N755SK"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("kdhan/faa-aircraft-registry").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "nNumbers": [
    "N755SK"
  ]
}' |
apify call kdhan/faa-aircraft-registry --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,kdhan/faa-aircraft-registry"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/PUScGFlWkMHvvbCl1/builds/xVpBVVaXaOxIQeTuo/openapi.json