So I'm about to close on a 1966 BE23 and the title search comes back with:

Registration of N***** was canceled from the US Registry on 12/**/78 at the request of the registrant as the aircraft was reported as totally destroyed or scrapped.
The aircraft was reinstated and re-registered on 5/**/79.

Don't know what this means. No related NTSB accident filings, and the plane seems to fly straight and so forth. The other little ones (a hard landing in 66 and a fence post in a grass field goof...well, that stuff was repaired and I get that. Planes had a couple of thousand hours since and no squacks except the traffic avoidance system is non-op presently...

This is a first plane, under $20K, mid time engine, good electronics, panel t gps etc. But any guesses would be appreciated..

George

Maybe it was damaged in a storm while on the ground and thus no NTSB report/accident. Either way, you will likely have a hard time selling it for this same reason.

My first aircraft had N28492 Registration. Upon searching, I found it had been reported in a NTSB accident report. It was, however a totally different aircraft and the N number was cancelled and given to the one I purchased.

I believe this happens with some frequency.

In you case, a 20K investment is not huge but the people that will fly with you are so just make sure it is structuraly sound. Hard landings and other "fender benders" that happend many years ago in a relatively old plane are not big deals. Heck, even a wheels up landing ceases to be a huge factor in price with time lots of time by the way)

make sure a good pre-buy was done with someone that knows them, there are wing attach area scenarios as well as parted out planes from wing spar corrosion

original vent ducting hoses if still there disintegrate causing corrosion wherever that ducting may run

there's other stuff too, Beech aero club are the experts

Similar situation here. My original # was cancelled because the plane moved to Canada. Then it moved back and got a different #.

So I'd check whether the original # is the same plane or not.

+1

I have had similar experiences as Victor describes. One aircraft is destroyed and the N number retired. Another plane is manufactured or re-registered and the formerly used N number is assigned to the new aircraft.

Are you sure in your example that the same plane is being referred to?

I saw this in a Bo with a number previously assigned to a Piper.

from what I remember the FAA holds the number for 10 years before allowing it to be re-assigned.

Mike, you may well be right. My personal plane, and A36 Bo has a tail that cross-references to the following:

Date: 06-NOV-1966
Time: 15:15
Type: Cessna 150F
Operator: Hi-Jack Flying
Registration: N8163F
Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Scottsboro AL - United States of America
Phase: Approach
Narrative:
PILOT STALLED ATTEMPTING TO AVOID 50 FOOT TREES 200 FEET FROM END OF RUNWAY.

Thanks, all around, for the help. Finally got all the details sorted out - thanks to some of the pointgers here.

Turns out the a/c may not have been involved in a ground incident after all. Looks instead like in 1978 there were a fair number of B23-19 AD's and the owner didn't have the dough to get them all done. The logbooks show nothing out of the ordinary up through mid 1978 - then a long period of time (but no missing pages or anything else) and then just 5 a/d's being done all at once in April 1978 and the place getting back on active registry in May 79.

Much todo about nothing? No, not hardly. This being my first plane, I'm thinking the guy I know who spent two days with his mechanic - reading every line in every log before buying a pressurized Piper a few years back was onto the right approach.

Anyway, again thanks - and yep, I'll post the tail number when ownership xfer is completed - thanks G. Ure www.urbansurvival.com