How to Fill Out FAA Form 8060-5 (w/Examples) + FAQs

You fill out FAA Form 8060-5, the Aircraft Bill of Sale, by typing or printing the aircraft’s make, model, serial number, and N-number, then naming the seller and buyer, signing in ink, and mailing the original to the FAA Aircraft Registry in Oklahoma City. The form is short, but a single missing block or a photocopied signature can void the transfer and stall your registration for weeks.

The problem is that aircraft ownership in the United States only changes hands once the FAA records the bill of sale under 14 CFR Part 47, and roughly 15 percent of bills of sale submitted each year are kicked back for correctable errors, according to data published by the FAA Civil Aviation Registry. A rejected form means the buyer cannot legally fly the airplane, lenders cannot perfect their security interest, and sales-tax clocks in many states keep ticking.

Here is what you will learn in this guide:

✈️ How to complete every block on FAA Form 8060-5 line by line
📜 The federal statutes and rules that make this form legally binding
💰 The tax, lien, and recordation consequences of getting it wrong
🧾 Real-world examples for private sellers, LLC buyers, and estates
❓ Answers to the most common questions pilots and owners ask

What FAA Form 8060-5 Actually Is

FAA Form 8060-5 is the federal Aircraft Bill of Sale used to transfer legal title to a civil aircraft from a seller to a buyer. The form is published by the FAA Civil Aviation Registry and is required any time ownership of a U.S.-registered aircraft changes hands. The form is the federal record of who owns the airplane, and without it the FAA will not issue a Certificate of Aircraft Registration (AC Form 8050-3) to the new owner.

The form is rooted in 49 U.S.C. § 44103, which gives the FAA Administrator the authority to register aircraft, and 49 U.S.C. § 44107, which requires the FAA to record conveyances that affect title. The Supreme Court confirmed in Philko Aviation, Inc. v. Shacket, 462 U.S. 406 (1983), that no transfer of an aircraft is valid against innocent third parties until the bill of sale is recorded with the FAA. That ruling is the reason every careful buyer insists on a properly executed 8060-5 at closing.

The form replaced the older AC Form 8050-2, which some sellers still use; both are accepted, but the FAA prefers the current revision because the boxes match the Registry’s electronic indexing system. The form is one page, has eight functional blocks, and must be submitted in original ink-signed form unless you are using the new electronic submission portal authorized by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. The original goes to the FAA, a conformed copy stays with the buyer, and a third copy travels in the aircraft for the first 90 days as temporary authority to fly under 14 CFR § 47.31(c).

A common misconception is that a state-style “bill of sale” or a notarized purchase contract is enough to transfer an aircraft. It is not. Federal law preempts state title rules for aircraft, and the only document the FAA will record as evidence of ownership is Form 8060-5 or an equivalent conveyance that meets 14 CFR § 47.11.

Why the Form Matters Under Federal Law

The bill of sale is the legal hinge between the seller’s ownership and the buyer’s right to fly, finance, insure, and resell the aircraft. Federal recordation under 49 U.S.C. § 44108 gives the buyer priority over later claimants, including creditors who try to attach the airplane to the seller’s debts. The consequence of skipping or fumbling this step is that a third party with a recorded interest can defeat the buyer’s claim, even if the buyer paid full price in cash.

The recordation system also feeds the International Registry of Mobile Assets, which the United States joined when it ratified the Cape Town Convention in 2004. For aircraft that qualify as “aircraft objects” under the Convention, an international interest must be registered to gain priority across borders. A clean 8060-5 is the prerequisite for that international registration because the FAA will not issue an AC code (the unique identifier needed for the International Registry) until the bill of sale is recorded.

State sales and use tax authorities also rely on the date stamped on the 8060-5 to start their clocks. In Florida, for example, the Department of Revenue gives buyers ten days to register the aircraft and remit use tax, while California’s Board of Equalization uses the bill-of-sale date to determine the lien date for personal property tax. A backdated or undated form can trigger penalties, interest, and audits that dwarf the cost of the airplane.

A real-world example helps. Maria, a flight school owner in Texas, bought a Cessna 172 from a private seller and accepted a handwritten bill of sale instead of Form 8060-5. Three months later the seller’s bankruptcy trustee tried to claw back the airplane, and Maria spent over twenty thousand dollars in legal fees proving her purchase. Had she used a properly recorded 8060-5, the Oklahoma City Registry would have shown her priority on day one.

Where to Get the Form

You can download FAA Form 8060-5 free of charge from the FAA Forms library, and the Aircraft Registration page links to the same PDF. The Registry will also mail you a pre-printed carbon-copy version on request, which some buyers prefer because the carbonless paper produces three identical originals in one signing. Third-party escrow companies in Oklahoma City, such as AIC Title Service and Insured Aircraft Title Service, keep stacks of the carbon forms and will overnight them to a closing.

The form must be the current revision. Older revisions still circulate online, and submitting one is not an automatic rejection, but the Registry can return it if any block is missing or unclear. Always check the revision date in the lower-left corner before signing.

The consequence of using a fake or altered form is severe. Submitting a falsified bill of sale is a federal offense under 18 U.S.C. § 1001 and can lead to fines, prison time, and revocation of any pilot or mechanic certificates the signer holds. A common misconception is that a digital photo of a signed form is acceptable; only an original ink signature, or an approved electronic signature through the FAA’s eSign portal, counts.

Step-by-Step: Filling Out Each Block

The form is short, but every block carries weight. Below is a line-by-line walkthrough that matches the current revision of the PDF available on the FAA Forms page. Read the whole block before you write, and use a black ballpoint pen so the original ink is clear on the recorded copy.

Block 1: Aircraft Make and Model

Enter the manufacturer and model exactly as they appear on the aircraft data plate and on the current Certificate of Aircraft Registration. For example, write Cessna 172S, not Cessna Skyhawk or C-172, because the Registry indexes by the type-certificated name. The consequence of using a marketing name is a kicked-back form and a delay of one to four weeks.

A common mistake is mixing up the airframe manufacturer with the engine manufacturer. The 8060-5 only conveys the airframe; engines and propellers are sold under separate engine and propeller bills of sale, although many private sales use the airframe form to cover the entire package. David, a buyer in Ohio, once listed Lycoming O-360 in this block instead of Piper PA-28-180, and the Registry returned his form twice before he caught the error.

If the aircraft is an experimental or amateur-built airplane, write the builder’s name and the model designation exactly as it appears on the Special Airworthiness Certificate. The Registry treats homebuilts as a separate category, and a mismatch between the bill of sale and the airworthiness file will halt the transfer.

Block 2: Aircraft Serial Number

Enter the airframe serial number exactly as it is stamped on the data plate. Do not include hyphens, spaces, or the letter prefixes used by some manufacturers in marketing materials unless they appear on the plate itself. The serial number is the Registry’s primary key for the airframe, and a typo here is the single most common reason a bill of sale is rejected, according to the Civil Aviation Registry.

The consequence of a wrong serial number is more than a delay. If the typo accidentally matches another airframe, the Registry can record the conveyance against the wrong aircraft, creating a cloud on title that takes a corrective bill of sale to clear. Jennifer, an LLC manager in Arizona, transposed two digits on a Cirrus SR22 serial number and spent six months unwinding the recordation with help from an aviation title attorney.

A common misconception is that the manufacturer’s serial number is the same as the FAA’s “aircraft identification” number. They are not the same; the FAA identifier is the N-number, which goes in Block 3. Keep them separate.

Block 3: N-Number (U.S. Registration Number)

Enter the current N-number, including the leading N. If the airplane is being imported and does not yet have an N-number, leave this block blank and submit an AC Form 8050-1 Aircraft Registration Application along with a request for a new registration mark. The Registry will assign a number and pair it with the bill of sale.

The consequence of writing the wrong N-number is that the Registry will record the sale against whatever airplane currently holds that mark, which could be a totally unrelated aircraft. A common mistake is using the reserved N-number a buyer has requested for the future instead of the current N-number on the airplane. Reserved marks do not become active until the buyer files AC Form 8050-64 and pays the assignment fee.

If the buyer plans to change the N-number after purchase, that is a separate transaction handled after the bill of sale is recorded. Carlos, a buyer in Florida, wanted to repaint his new Beechcraft Bonanza with a vanity mark, so he closed under the existing N-number and filed for the change two weeks later, which is the correct sequence.

Block 4: Seller Information (Does Hereby Sell)

Print or type the full legal name of the seller exactly as it appears on the current registration. If the seller is an individual, use the legal name on a government-issued ID. If the seller is a corporation or LLC, use the exact entity name on file with the Secretary of State, including punctuation and corporate suffix. The FAA cross-checks this against the registration on file and against state corporate databases for entities, and a mismatch is a frequent reason for rejection.

Include the seller’s full mailing address. Post office boxes are allowed for mailing, but 14 CFR § 47.45 requires a physical address on the registration application, so most closings list both. The consequence of using only a P.O. box is that the Registry may issue a letter requesting a physical address, which can delay the new registration by several weeks.

A common misconception is that a married couple can sign as one seller if only one spouse is on the title. Only the names on the existing registration can sell the aircraft. If a spouse, heir, or business partner needs to be added, that is done with a separate bill of sale or an AC Form 8050-41 Statement of Repossession when applicable.

Block 5: Buyer Information (Purchaser)

Enter the buyer’s full legal name and physical address. Citizenship matters here, because under 49 U.S.C. § 44102 only a U.S. citizen, a resident alien, or a U.S.-based entity meeting the citizenship test may register a civil aircraft. The consequence of listing a non-citizen buyer without a Voting Trust Agreement or other approved structure is that the FAA will refuse to register the airplane to that buyer.

For LLC or corporate buyers, list the exact entity name and the state of formation. The Registry will require a Statement in Support of Registration by an LLC if the entity is a single-member LLC, because of the citizenship-test rules clarified in the FAA’s 2011 guidance. Sarah, a doctor in Illinois, formed a single-member LLC to hold her Pilatus PC-12 and learned at closing that she needed both the bill of sale and the LLC statement to complete the transfer.

A common mistake is listing a trade name or “doing business as” instead of the legal entity. The trade name has no legal personality and cannot hold federal title.

Block 6: Date of Sale

Enter the date the parties intend the sale to be effective. This is normally the day money changes hands, but in financed deals it can be the date the lender funds the escrow. The date controls when state sales-tax and use-tax clocks start, and it controls the International Registry priority date for Cape Town interests.

The consequence of backdating the form to dodge taxes or jump a creditor is fraud under both state law and 18 U.S.C. § 1001. A common misconception is that the date can be left blank for the Registry to fill in. It cannot; an undated bill of sale is not a valid conveyance under 14 CFR § 47.11 and will be returned.

Block 7: Seller Signature, Title, and Typed Name

The seller signs in ink. If the seller is an entity, the signer must list a corporate title (President, Manager, Trustee) and must have authority to sign under the entity’s governing documents. The Registry does not verify authority, but a later challenge can void the transfer if the signer lacked authority, so most closings include a Certificate of Incumbency or an LLC operating agreement excerpt.

For co-owners, every owner on the existing registration must sign. The consequence of a missing co-owner signature is a void conveyance, which means the buyer never received title at all. Mike and Lisa, a couple in Colorado, sold a Mooney M20J but only Mike signed; the Registry returned the form and the buyer’s insurance lapsed before they could re-sign.

A typed name beneath the signature is required so the Registry can index the document. Illegible signatures without a typed name are a frequent rejection reason.

Block 8: Acknowledgment (Optional Notarization)

Notarization is not required for a U.S. domestic sale, and many transactions skip it. However, the Registry strongly encourages notarization for any transfer that will be recorded internationally or that involves a non-U.S. seller, because foreign jurisdictions often require an apostille on top of the notarial seal. The consequence of skipping notarization on an international deal is that the International Registry may refuse to accept the underlying contract for priority purposes.

A common misconception is that a notary’s seal somehow validates the form. It does not; the FAA’s recordation under 49 U.S.C. § 44107 is what gives the form its legal effect.

Three Common Scenarios

Below are three scenarios that cover the bulk of 8060-5 transactions. Each table uses two columns to show the Step Taken and the Result.

Scenario 1: Private Owner Selling a Cessna 172

Step Taken	Result
Seller downloads 8060-5 from FAA Forms	Current revision in hand for closing
Buyer pays cash, both sign at the airport	Effective transfer date is locked in
Original mailed to FAA Registry with $5 fee and AC 8050-1	New registration issued in 2-4 weeks
Pink copy of 8050-1 carried in the airplane	Buyer may legally fly for 90 days

Scenario 2: LLC Buying a Cirrus SR22 With Financing

Step Taken	Result
Escrow opens with AIC Title Service in Oklahoma City	Funds and documents held in trust
Lender files AC Form 8050-41B Security Agreement	Lien priority recorded simultaneously
LLC submits Statement in Support of Registration	FAA confirms citizenship compliance
Cape Town interest registered on International Registry	Cross-border priority secured

Scenario 3: Estate Transferring a Piper After Owner’s Death

Step Taken	Result
Executor obtains Letters Testamentary from probate court	Authority to sign as seller is established
Executor signs 8060-5 as Executor of the Estate of [Name]	Title flows to estate, then to heir or buyer
Certified copy of Letters mailed with the bill of sale	Registry accepts the chain of title
Heir files new AC 8050-1 in their own name	Aircraft registered to the heir

Named Examples That Show the Stakes

Robert, a retired airline captain in Georgia, sold his Beechcraft Baron to a neighbor and used a generic bill of sale he downloaded from a legal-forms website. The Registry returned it because Robert never recorded a Form 8060-5, and his neighbor could not get insurance until Robert flew the original form to Oklahoma City the following month.

Priya, a tech executive in California, bought a Pilatus PC-12 through a Delaware LLC. Her closing team used the current 8060-5, attached the LLC Statement in Support of Registration, and registered a contract of sale on the International Registry the same day. The whole package recorded in nine business days.

Tom, a flight instructor in Maine, inherited a Piper Cherokee from his father and tried to fly it home before the estate transfer was recorded. The FAA’s Flight Standards District Office opened an enforcement file under 14 CFR § 47.3 because the airplane had no valid registration in Tom’s name. He resolved it by filing the executor-signed 8060-5 along with the probate documents, but he lost two months of flying time.

Mistakes to Avoid

These are the errors that send bills of sale back from Oklahoma City and trigger downstream tax, lien, and enforcement problems.

Listing a trade name instead of the legal entity, which voids the conveyance because trade names cannot hold federal title.
Forgetting a co-owner signature, which leaves the seller’s interest only partially conveyed and clouds title for years.
Backdating the date of sale to chase a tax break, which is fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1001 and can lead to criminal charges.
Photocopying signatures instead of using ink originals, which the FAA Civil Aviation Registry will reject on sight.
Mixing up the manufacturer’s serial number with the N-number, which is the most common rejection reason in the Registry’s annual data.
Failing to register a Cape Town international interest, which costs the buyer cross-border priority on a qualifying aircraft.
Sending the form to a Flight Standards District Office instead of to the Registry in Oklahoma City, which delays recordation by weeks.
Ignoring state sales tax, which can trigger penalties of up to 25 percent in states like California and Florida.
Using an expired or non-citizen buyer without a Voting Trust, which makes the registration invalid under 49 U.S.C. § 44102.

Do’s and Don’ts

These quick rules keep your closing on the rails.

Do use the current revision of Form 8060-5, because older revisions can be returned for indexing reasons.
Do match the seller’s name letter-for-letter to the existing registration, because the Registry rejects mismatches.
Do mail the original by traceable courier to the Aircraft Registry, because lost forms restart the entire process.
Do attach a check or pay the registration fee with AC Form 8050-1, because the Registry will not record without payment.
Do keep a conformed copy in the aircraft, because pilots need it during the 90-day window under 14 CFR § 47.31(c).
Don’t sign before the buyer’s name is filled in, because a blank-buyer form is unenforceable and risky.
Don’t rely on a state DMV-style title, because federal law preempts state title rules for aircraft.
Don’t skip the LLC citizenship statement, because the Registry will not register a single-member LLC without it.
Don’t accept a wire confirmation as proof of recordation, because only the Registry’s stamp counts.
Don’t fly the airplane before recordation unless you carry the pink copy of AC 8050-1, because flying without temporary authority violates Part 47.

Pros and Cons of Self-Filing vs. Using an Escrow

Owners often debate whether to handle the 8060-5 themselves or to hire a title company in Oklahoma City. Both paths are legal; each has trade-offs.

Pro of self-filing: It is cheap, with only the FAA recordation fee to pay, because there is no escrow charge.
Pro of self-filing: You control the timing of the mail and the signing, which works well for simple cash deals.
Pro of self-filing: You learn the system, which is useful if you plan to buy or sell aircraft regularly.
Pro of escrow: A title company runs a title and lien search before closing, catching liens that would otherwise survive the sale.
Pro of escrow: Funds are held in trust until the FAA records the documents, protecting both parties.
Con of self-filing: A small mistake can cost weeks of downtime, and downtime on a financed airplane is expensive.
Con of self-filing: You miss the simultaneous filing of the security agreement, which lenders almost always require.
Con of escrow: Fees range from a few hundred dollars to over a thousand for complex deals.
Con of escrow: You are dependent on the escrow company’s queue, especially during year-end tax-driven rushes.
Con of escrow: Some escrow firms will not handle homebuilt or experimental aircraft, narrowing your options.

Where and How to Submit the Form

Mail the original ink-signed 8060-5, the completed AC Form 8050-1, the registration fee, and any LLC or trust supporting documents to the FAA Aircraft Registry, P.O. Box 25504, Oklahoma City, OK 73125. Walk-in and courier deliveries go to 6425 South Denning Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73169, where most title companies hand-walk packages through the Public Documents Room. The Registry’s contact page lists current hours.

Since the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, the Registry has rolled out an electronic submission portal that accepts digitally signed bills of sale through Login.gov authentication. The portal cuts processing time from weeks to days for routine sales, but it is not yet mandatory, and complex transactions still go through paper. The consequence of using the portal incorrectly, such as uploading a scanned wet-ink form, is automatic rejection because the system expects an FAA-approved electronic signature.

Track your filing through the Aircraft Inquiry tool. Until the new registration appears in that database, the buyer is operating on the temporary pink-copy authority and should keep flights inside the United States to avoid cross-border issues with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Court Rulings Worth Knowing

The leading case is Philko Aviation, Inc. v. Shacket, 462 U.S. 406 (1983), where the Supreme Court held that an unrecorded transfer of an aircraft is not valid against innocent third parties. The ruling means a buyer who pays cash but never records the bill of sale can lose the airplane to a later, recorded claimant.

In Sanders Aviation, Inc. v. Bank of America, the court applied Philko to a bank’s perfected lien, holding that the bank’s recorded interest defeated an unrecorded buyer. The lesson is that recordation is not a formality; it is the entire point of the federal scheme.

State courts have followed suit. The Texas Supreme Court in South Shore Bank v. Tony Mat, Inc. applied federal preemption to a state-court lien, again confirming that only FAA-recorded interests carry weight. A common misconception is that state UCC filings can substitute for FAA recordation; they cannot, because 49 U.S.C. § 44108 preempts state perfection rules for aircraft.

Federal vs. State: Who Controls What

Federal law controls title and recordation for aircraft, but states still control sales tax, use tax, personal property tax, and registration fees on the ground. This split means a perfectly recorded 8060-5 does not relieve the buyer from filing with the California CDTFA, the Florida DOR, or the Texas Comptroller.

Some states, including Massachusetts, require an annual aircraft registration on top of the federal registration. The consequence of skipping the state registration is a fine and, in some states, a hold on the federal renewal. A common misconception is that hangaring an airplane in a low-tax state automatically avoids tax in a high-tax state; states like California aggressively pursue use tax based on actual flight hours within their borders, regardless of hangar location.

Anna, a charter operator in Nevada, learned this the hard way when California assessed use tax on her Citation CJ3 because the airplane spent more than half of its flight hours in California airspace during its first year. Her clean 8060-5 did not help with the state-tax bill; it only confirmed the date the clock started.

FAQs

Is FAA Form 8060-5 the only acceptable bill of sale for a U.S. aircraft?

No. Any conveyance that meets 14 CFR § 47.11 can be recorded, but Form 8060-5 is the FAA’s preferred document because the boxes match the Registry’s indexing system.

Do I need a notary to sign FAA Form 8060-5?

No. Notarization is not required for a domestic U.S. sale, although the Registry recommends it for international transfers and for transactions that will be filed on the International Registry.

Can I email a scanned copy of the signed form to the FAA?

No. Paper submissions require an original ink signature mailed to the Registry in Oklahoma City, and electronic submissions must use the FAA’s eSign portal with approved digital credentials.

Is the bill of sale enough to legally fly the airplane home?

Yes. The pink copy of AC Form 8050-1 gives the buyer 90 days of temporary authority under 14 CFR § 47.31(c), provided the original bill of sale is in transit to the FAA.

Does FAA Form 8060-5 transfer the engines and propellers too?

Yes. In a typical airframe sale the form covers the whole airplane as configured, but lenders often require separate engine and propeller bills of sale to perfect security interests in those components.

Can a non-U.S. citizen be the buyer on Form 8060-5?

No. Under 49 U.S.C. § 44102, only U.S. citizens, resident aliens, or qualifying entities may register aircraft, although a Voting Trust can structure around the rule.

Is the FAA recordation fee really only a few dollars?

Yes. The current registration fee is modest, but escrow, title-search, and Cape Town fees can push total closing costs into the hundreds or thousands depending on complexity.

Does recording the bill of sale eliminate state sales tax?

No. Federal recordation has nothing to do with state tax, and states like California and Florida collect use tax based on the bill-of-sale date and aircraft location.

Can I correct a typo on a recorded 8060-5?

Yes. The seller and buyer can sign and record a corrective bill of sale that references the original recordation number, which the Registry’s Public Documents Room will index against the same airframe.

Does FAA Form 8060-5 work for experimental and homebuilt aircraft?

Yes. The form transfers title to any civil aircraft, including experimentals, although the Registry will cross-check the airframe against the Special Airworthiness Certificate on file.

Is the bill of sale public record once recorded?

Yes. Anyone can search the Aircraft Inquiry database and order copies of recorded conveyances, which is how title companies build the lien and ownership history on a used airplane.

Can a power of attorney sign FAA Form 8060-5?

Yes. A properly drafted aviation power of attorney, recorded with the FAA before or alongside the bill of sale, allows an attorney-in-fact to sign on behalf of the seller or buyer under 14 CFR § 47.13.

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