About

Public records, made useful for buying decisions.

Preflight Alphacompiles the U.S. government’s public record for any aircraft into one report you can read in minutes — so a buyer, seller, or mechanic can see the same history at a glance.

What it is

A single aircraft history compiled from U.S. government public records.
A fast way to surface accidents, mechanical reports, and directives before you buy.
A shareable, printable report you can hand to a seller, buyer, or mechanic.

What it isn’t

Not an airworthiness determination — it does not certify an aircraft as safe or airworthy.
Not an appraisal or a valuation.
Not a substitute for a logbook review and a pre-purchase inspection by a qualified mechanic.
Not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the FAA or NTSB.

Frequently asked

Where does the data come from?: Four U.S. government sources: the FAA Civil Aviation Registry, the NTSB accident database, FAA Service Difficulty Reports, and airworthiness directives from the Federal Register. All are public records.
Is this an official FAA or NTSB report?: No. We compile and present public records. We are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the FAA or the NTSB.
Does a clean report mean the aircraft is airworthy?: No. A report is decision support, not an airworthiness determination. Always confirm with the aircraft's logbooks and a pre-purchase inspection by a qualified mechanic.
Why might a record show an aircraft that isn't the one I'm looking at?: The FAA reassigns tail numbers (N-numbers) over time, so a tail's history can span more than one physical aircraft. Each accident shows its own make, model, and serial number to check against.
How current is the data?: The FAA registry refreshes daily; the other datasets refresh on a scheduled basis. Each section of a report states its own coverage window (NTSB from 2008, service difficulty reports from 1995, directives from 1994).
Can I get records older than the coverage windows?: Older airworthiness directives can be researched in the FAA's Dynamic Regulatory System (DRS), which we link to. Accident and service-difficulty records before the windows shown are not in our current sources.
Do you store my payment information?: Payments are not enabled yet. When they are, card details will be handled by a PCI-compliant payment processor — we do not store card numbers.