How to see Aircraft Records, Mantenance, Registration and so much more, FREE and instantly

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

The FAA's new site CARES.FAA.Gov is up and running. You can go there and create a MyAccess account. See register upper right corner.

You will also need a 3rd party authenticator, I choose Google Authenticator which is one on the 3 choices. Google Authenticator is free app for your phone available at the IPhone or Google APP store.

Once you have your MyAccess Account and Authenticator ready, you log in with your username you created using your password and then the site will ask for your authentication code. I start Google Authenticator and it generates a code which changes about every 30 seconds. Entering the current code online and you are in. Pretty painless.

Your may have to navigate back to CARES.FAA.GOV where you will see this.

Clicking get started will show these areas to enter.

Choosing Aircraft Services will get you here:

Choosing Request Aircraft Records gets your here:

Entering a Registration # or serial number will get you here:

Scroll down and you will see:

An ownership trail is the default choice, selecting Airworthiness gets you a list:

In the sample here for my Vagabond the Misc. AW Data and Converted Airworthiness files are 337s submitted after micro fishe was stopped. Airworthiness Fiche is just that, the old micro fishe.

You can almost instantly view anything or download it to your computer which takes a few seconds longer.

You can enter ANY Registration # and view the records of any aircraft. I've already found 337s for an otherwise unapproved engine for my Vagabond. It is a 337 dated 1951. All 337s dated prior to 10/1/1955 are APPROVED DATA. Not only did I find the 337 the records happened to also include the letter from the Chief of the Aircraft Division of the CAA approving the mod recorded on the 337. Pretty neat.

Happy hunting. Hope everyone finds the records they hope to find.

[cessnut]

I have been using this for awhile. It has already saved us a bunch of time and frustration researching old modifications. I used to go to a DAR friend, but now I have all the information right in front of me for free. Pretty nice.

[rnealon1]

Thanks for this information, very useful!

In researching my aircraft there are 3 337 forms in my possession that do not appear in the FAA records:

1. Peterson Auto Fuel STC (I have the STC) 1984

2. An elevator repair 1998

3. Inspection of Jasco Alternator installation (I have the STC) 1999

Is there a possibility of submitting old 337s for the record, is it wise, and who would do it (my IA?)?

Thanks,

Bob

[mit]

Am I missing a link to the site?

[brianm]

Am I missing a link to the site?

It's in the first line of Bruce's post and all of the screenshots. http://cares.faa.gov

[mit]

Thanks I missed it.

[dstates]

I've also used this site after talking to a FAA aircraft registration employee at Oshkosh this year. She said they are not "advertising" it yet because not all the features are done, but the airworthiness portion is ready.

I've used it to make sure my 337's make it to OKC and I showed a friend how to use it and he recently used it while airplane shopping. It works well. No more waiting for a CD with two pdf's on it and then trying to find a computer with a CD-ROM drive

viewtopic.php?p=152665

Doug

[n2582d]

Doug,
That entry in October didn't get any traction because you forgot to include FREE in all caps! "FREE" -- the key to a pilot's heart.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Sorry I didn't catch on in October Doug, nore did I remember you posted about it. I surely wouldn't have taken the time to duplicate your effort. Thanks for trying.

[GAHorn]

Thanks for this information, very useful!

In researching my aircraft there are 3 337 forms in my possession that do not appear in the FAA records:

1. Peterson Auto Fuel STC (I have the STC) 1984

2. An elevator repair 1998

3. Inspection of Jasco Alternator installation (I have the STC) 1999

Is there a possibility of submitting old 337s for the record, is it wise, and who would do it (my IA?)?

Thanks,

Bob

There are a number of reasons a 337 might not be in the FAA records. Lost in the mail is common. Also, being mis-filed by a person when the records were all hard-copies and handled by staff. I know of one example where a 337 was filed on a completely Wrong make/model…. because it was filed per the N-number rather than the owner/date/serial-number. Registration numbers change on airframes…they are not permanently assigned. Only serial numbers do not change (although in certain cases of salvage rebuilds, data plates have sometimes been placed upon airframes to which they did not originate…an illegal and fraudulent practice which, in the distant past, was often practiced….but which is specifically prohibited by FAR in modern times.

(A Baron I once owned was accused of being a former wreck…when in fact…the N-number had once been assigned to a Cessna 402 which was the actual wrecked aircraft. The researcher of the Baron failed to notice that the registration/N-number had been re-assigned to the Baron after the wrecked C-402 was declared destroyed.)

If you have a 337 which applies to your airplane….and the repair/modification is still valid and still applies to your airframe….then I’d submit it to correct the record. An example of how things might be confused otherwise is: A future inspector of your airplane notices a major repair or alteration for which no 337 exists in the record…. and the inspector declares the airplane unairworthy…. or an insurance claim is denied because of an incomplete record. Or an FAA letter arrives which requires action on your part because it was noticed your airplane operated without required equipment according to the record.

As for whether or not it is “wise”… I personally believe that FAA would consider it to be more questionable that you knew of an incorrect record but failed to correct it. I would submit it with an explanatory note that your research revealed the 337 was missing in the FAA record. I don’t believe it will initiate any investigation, if that’s your concern.

In another example, I once hired an A&P/IA to rebuild the instrument panel in my C-206 and he generated a 337 which was in MY logbooks…but never showed up in OKC. I was later told by a different inspector that the replacement panel did not rise to the level of “major repair or modification” and that may be why it was either not submitted to OKC…or that OKC discarded it.
The man who did that work..?? is now an FAA Maintenance Inspector in the FTW Regional Office at Alliance.

(addendum: I personally believe that A&P placed the 337 in my logbooks to satisfy only myself that he’d done everything properly…but knowing otherwise and not desiring it to be questioned by authorities, he never submitted a copy to OKC.)

[rnealon1]

Thanks George! That is how I view it as well, in regard to making the record complete.

Bob