Shared tail number?

[CJones]

Is it possible for two aircraft to share the same tail number?

A few weeks ago en-route from SAT, I heard "Citation 12345" on the freq with DFW. I finally looked it up today, and I'm getting conflicting information about the tail number. FlightAware has N12345 listed as a C550 - Citation Bravo - which agrees with the "Citation 12345" I heard near DFW. BUT, when you click on the registration information it brings up information about a 1952 Monocoupe registered to College Park Aviation Museum in College Park, MD. AirportData also lists N12345 as belonging to a Monocoupe (http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N12345.html), but I know I heard "Citation 12345" on the arrival route into DFW. Also, how is FlightAware getting information about a C550, when everything else says Monocoupe?

 

[tonycondon]

i suspect the registration on the monocoupe expired

 

[Teller1900]

i suspect the registration on the monocoupe expired

I'd bet. The monocoupe used to have have that tail, but now that it's in a museum the reg is no good and was taken over by the citation.

 

[poadeleted20]

To answer the original question, only if the FAA goofs or someone's using a number that isn't authorized.

 

[CJones]

To answer the original question, only if the FAA goofs or someone's using a number that isn't authorized.

From the looks of FlightAware, there are a few a/c (mostly 172's) out there using bogus tail numbers (namely N12345) for flights. I supposed it could be an ATC flight strip error as well.

 

[CJones]

i suspect the registration on the monocoupe expired

I'd bet. The monocoupe used to have have that tail, but now that it's in a museum the reg is no good and was taken over by the citation.

What!? You mean to tell me that the FAA doesn't have real-time data retrieval in place!? Sounds like a good reason for user fees to me.

 

[Ted]

From the looks of FlightAware, there are a few a/c (mostly 172's) out there using bogus tail numbers (namely N12345) for flights. I supposed it could be an ATC flight strip error as well.

The ATC errors are definite occurrences, especially for VFR flight following. For example, once I hopped in the Archer and flew down from Williamsport to Virginia VFR. This was post IR for me, but the main reason for going VFR was to save time and use the D-> on the VFR GPS, which for this route saves about 40 miles.

I get in the air, and the first controller I talk to hears a different tail number than I say. By that point he'd already entered it into the system. For the remainder of the trip, that tail number was what I was assigned to, even though I tried to get the controllers to change it. Checked on FlightAware after landing and, sure enough, there was my flight, as tracked on the wrong tail number.

I'm sure, though, that you have no shortage of people using bogus numbers for whatever reason.

 

[Greg Bockelman]

I've seen several 737's at the Renton Washington facility with the same N number on them.

 

[wanttaja]

i suspect the registration on the monocoupe expired

Registrations don't expire. The FAA is currently going through the rolls and canceling old registrations where the owner is unreachable and there has been no action (e.g., sales, etc.) for years, but otherwise the registrations are permanent. The Monocoupe's registration status code is "A", which means "The Triennial Aircraft Registration form was mailed and has not been returned by the Post Office." In other words, the FAA has a valid address for the owner, which is all they need (right now, at least...).

As had been mentioned, N12345 currently belongs to a Monocoupe owned by a museum. This isn't rare...if you go through the rolls, you'll find lots of planes registered to museums. I suspect this may be insurance-related...it's easier to track, that way.

My January 2008 FAA registration listing shows a "Certificate Issue Date" for the Monocoupe of March 1998, and the "Last Certificate Action" as March of 2007. Obviously, this is an active registration.

"Citation N12345" might have a few other explanations. The owners of the Citation may have negotiated with the museum to buy the N-Number and the online records may not have caught up yet (aviation author Peter Lert got himself a lifetime supply of shoes by selling his glider's N-Number... N1KE... to a certain company), it might have been a pilot who used it for convenience, or it might have been a government flight using a false N-number to hide its trail.

Ron Wanttaja

 

[colomtnflyer]

A few months ago, we received an IFR take off alert from Flight Explorer that one of our G-II's had taken off. Funny thing was, that aircraft was undergoing MX in the hangar at the time.
After a little sleuthing, we found that it was a C182, traveling between 2 points in SoCal, with a non-IFR rated pilot/owner, who had asked for VFR flight following.
Turns out ATC had screwed up, put it in the system as an IFR flight plan, and only used the last couple of characters of his N number (which happened to be exactly the entire N number of our G-II).
Of course, ATC NEVER makes mistakes, right?

 

[wabower]

I've seen several similar tail number situations on Flight Aware. Almost did it myself once, filed a flight plan for the King Air that I ususally fly, but was flying another one for a golf trip. Our partner called from Dallas to ask if I had the airplane in Phoenix, since he was planning to use it to go to Florida. Like a gentleman I said yes, didn't he get the message. After he finally stopped sputtering, I confessed.

 

[poadeleted20]

I've seen several 737's at the Renton Washington facility with the same N number on them.

I'd forgotten the one exception to the rule -- manufacturers can get a couple of N-numbers they can use like automobile dealer plates while flight testing new production aircraft before they're officially certified and registered.