The FAA Aircraft Registration Certificate (AC Form 8050-3) is the document that says who currently owns a US-registered aircraft. Every registered airplane carries one, usually in a plastic sleeve in the cockpit, and it is worth knowing what each line actually means.
The fields that matter
- N-number — the registration mark. Assigned to an owner, not welded to an airframe — see how to read the number itself.
- Manufacturer, model, and serial number — the serial number is the one that never changes across a sale, a rebuild, or a re-registration. Confirm it matches the data plate riveted to the airframe, not just the paperwork.
- Registered owner name and address — often a bank or trust company acting as owner trustee rather than the person actually flying it. See why aircraft are registered to a corporation or trust.
- Date of issue — when this specific certificate was produced. A new certificate on an old airplane usually just means an ownership or address change, not anything about the aircraft's condition.
What it is not
A registration certificate says who owns the airplane and confirms it is on the registry. It says nothing about whether the aircraft is legally airworthy to fly — that is a separate document, the airworthiness certificate. See the difference between the two if that distinction is not clear.
It also is not proof the aircraft is free of accident history or liens. Registration and history are tracked separately; a certificate in the cockpit tells you the current owner of record, not what happened to the airframe before them.
Confirming it is real and current
Anyone can look up an N-number for free at the FAA Aircraft Registry and compare what comes back against the certificate in the airplane. If the registered owner, serial number, or expiration date on the physical certificate doesn't match what the FAA has on file, that is worth asking about before you go any further — not after.