Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

within 60 days of the death of the certificate holder¹

within 60 days of the death of the certificate holder¹

during the six months before the registration expires; An aircraft with an expired registration is not authorized for flight, and its airworthiness certificate is ineffective while the registration is expired.²

The Certificate of Aircraft Registration ends 30 days after the death of the certificate holder. The aircraft must be re-registered in the name of the executor, administrator, heir or a buyer from the estate before it can continue to be flown.¹

The executor or administrator may have the registration reissued in their own name by filing a new AC Form 8050-1 with a certified copy of the letters testamentary or letters of administration and the $5.00 registration fee.^{3, 4}

A buyer from the estate files a Bill of Sale (AC Form 8050-2) signed for the estate by the executor or administrator, an AC Form 8050-1 in the buyer's name, a certified copy of the letters and the $5.00 fee. With no executor or administrator, the heir-at-law signs the Bill of Sale and adds an heir-at-law affidavit.^{3, 4}

Where no executor or administrator has been or will be appointed, the heir-at-law files the Heir-At-Law Form with AC Form 8050-1 and the $5.00 fee. The affidavit describes the aircraft and states that no appointment has been or is expected to be sought and that the affiant is entitled under state law to the aircraft.⁵

A Certificate of Aircraft Registration expires seven years after the last day of the month it was issued. Certificates in valid status whose expiration fell after January 23, 2023 were extended four more years, and a replacement certificate with the new date was mailed to the address of record.^{2, 6}

If the aircraft was destroyed or is permanently retired, a responsible party such as a member of the owner's family, a co-owner or the executor may ask for the registration to be cancelled by signed letter, mailed, faxed or sent digitally signed by email.⁷

A pilot certificate does not have to be returned or surrendered at death. The FAA asks for a signed letter of notification and proof of death if available, updates its records from it, and its mailings to the airman may continue for a few months.^{8, 9}

Security agreements, chattel mortgages and liens recorded against the aircraft follow it until they are released, so they are dealt with before it is sold or transferred.⁴

The executor, administrator or heir-at-law notifies the FAA Aircraft Registration Branch when a registered aircraft owner dies. For a deceased pilot, the family or executor reports the death to the FAA Airmen Certification Branch.^{1, 8}

The fee is $5.00 for a registration and $5.00 for a renewal, payable to the Federal Aviation Administration.^{10, 11}

The Registry works documents in the order it receives them and gives the date of the documents it is currently processing.⁴

Until the new certificate is issued, the second copy ("pink copy") of AC Form 8050-1 carried in the aircraft is temporary authority to operate within the United States, until the certificate is received or the application is denied.¹²

That temporary authority is not available on an application received once 12 months have passed since the Registry received the first application following the last registered owner's transfer of ownership.¹²