Title 14—Aeronautics and Space--Volume 1
PART 49—RECORDING OF AIRCRAFT TITLES AND SECURITY DOCUMENTS
§ 49.1   Applicability.
(a) This part applies to the recording of certain conveyances affecting title to, or any interest in—
(1) Any aircraft registered under 49 U.S.C. 44101-44104;
(2) Any specifically identified aircraft engine of 550 or more rated takeoff horsepower, or the equivalent of that horsepower;
(3) Any specifically identified aircraft propeller able to absorb 750 or more rated takeoff shaft horsepower; and
(4) Any aircraft engine, propeller, or appliance maintained by or for an air carrier certificated under 49 U.S.C. 44705, for installation or use in an aircraft, aircraft engine, or propeller, or any spare part, maintained at a designated location or locations by or for such an air carrier.
(b) Subpart B of this part governs, where applicable by its terms, conveyances subject to this part.
§ 49.11   FAA Aircraft Registry.
To be eligible for recording, a conveyance must be delivered to the Registry by a means and in a form acceptable to the Administrator, to include electronic or digital forms and means compatible with systems of the Registry.
§ 49.13   Signatures and acknowledgements.
(a) Each signature on a conveyance must be signed in a manner acceptable to the Administrator.
(b) Paragraphs (b) through (f) of § 47.13 of this chapter apply to a conveyance made by, or on behalf of, one or more persons doing business under a trade name, or by an agent, corporation, partnership, coowner, or unincorporated association.
(c) No conveyance or other instrument need be acknowledged, as provided in 49 U.S.C. 44107(c), in order to be recorded under this part. The law of the place of delivery of the conveyance determines when a conveyance or other instrument must be acknowledged in order to be valid for the purposes of that place.
(d) A power of attorney or other evidence of a person's authority to sign for another, submitted under this part, is valid for the purposes of this section, unless sooner revoked, until—
(1) Its expiration date stated therein; or
(2) If an expiration date is not stated thereon, for not more than 3 years after the date—
(i) It is signed; or
(ii) The grantor (a corporate officer or other person in a managerial position therein, where the grantor is a corporation) certifies in writing that the authority to sign shown by the power of attorney or other evidence is still in effect.
§ 49.15   Fees for recording.
(a) The fees charged for recording conveyances under this part are as follows:
(b) There is no fee for recording a bill of sale that accompanies an application for aircraft registration and the proper fee under Part 47 of this chapter.
(c) Each conveyance must be accompanied by the proper fee, that may be paid by check or money order to the Federal Aviation Administration.
§ 49.17   Conveyances recorded.
(a)(1) Each instrument recorded under this part is a “conveyance” within the following definition in 49 U.S.C. 40102(a)(19):
“Conveyance” means an instrument, including a conditional sales contract, affecting title to, or an interest in, property.
(2) A notice of Federal tax lien is not recordable under this part, since it is required to be filed elsewhere by the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. 6321, 6323; 26 CFR 301.6321-1, 301.6323-1).
(b) The kinds of conveyance recordable under this part include those used as evidence of ownership under § 47.11 of this chapter.
(c) The validity of any instrument, eligible for recording under this part, is governed by the laws of the State, possession, Puerto Rico, or District of Columbia, as the case may be, in which the instrument was delivered, regardless of the location or place of delivery of the property affected by the instrument. If the place where an instrument is intended to be delivered is stated in the instrument, it is presumed that the instrument was delivered at that place. The recording of a conveyance is not a decision of the FAA that the instrument does, in fact, affect title to, or an interest in, the aircraft or other property it covers.
(d) The following rules apply to conveyances executed for security purposes and assignments thereof:
(1) A security agreement must be signed by the debtor. If the debtor is not the registered owner of the aircraft, the security agreement must be accompanied by the debtor's Application for Aircraft Registration and evidence of ownership, as prescribed in Part 47 of this chapter, unless the debtor—
(i) Holds a Dealer's Aircraft Registration Certificate and submits evidence of ownership as provided in § 47.67 of this chapter (if applicable);
(ii) Was the owner of the aircraft on the date the security agreement was signed, as shown by documents recorded at the FAA Aircraft Registry; or
(iii) Is the vendor, bailor, or lessor under a contract of conditional sale.
(2) The name of a cosigner may not appear in the security agreement as a debtor or owner. If a person other than the registered owner signs the security agreement, that person must show the capacity in which that person signs, such as “cosigner” or “guarantor”.
(3) An assignment of an interest in a security agreement must be signed by the assignor and, unless it is attached to and is a part of the originating agreement, must describe the agreement in sufficient detail to identify it, including its date, the names of the parties, the date of FAA recording, and the recorded conveyance number.
(4) An amendment of, or a supplement to, a conveyance executed for security purposes that has been recorded by the FAA must meet the requirements for recording the original conveyance and must describe the original conveyance in sufficient detail to identify it, including its date, the names of the parties, the date of FAA recording, and the recorded conveyance number.
(5) Immediately after a debt secured by a conveyance given for security purposes has been satisfied, or any of the encumbered aircraft have been released from the conveyance, the holder shall execute a release on AC Form 8050-41, Part II—Release, provided to him by the FAA when the conveyance was recorded by the FAA, or its equivalent, and shall send it to the FAA Aircraft Registry for recording. If the debt is secured by more than one aircraft and all of the collateral is released, the collateral need not be described in detail in the release. However, the original conveyance must be clearly described in enough detail to identify it, including its date, the names of the parties, the date of FAA recording, and the recorded conveyance number.
(6) A contract of conditional sale, as defined in 49 U.S.C. 40102(a)(18), must be signed by all parties to the contract.
§ 49.19   Effective date of filing for recordation.
A conveyance is filed for recordation upon the date and at the time it is received by the FAA Aircraft Registry.
§ 49.21   True copy of original conveyance.
A person submitting a conveyance for recording may submit a true copy in lieu of the original, except where an original is specifically required. The true copy must be in a form and manner acceptable to the Administrator, to which is attached a certificate, or other acceptable attestation, of the person submitting the conveyance stating that the copy has been compared with the original and that it is a true copy.
§ 49.31   Applicability.
This subpart applies to the recording of the following kinds of conveyances:
(a) A bill of sale, contract of conditional sale, assignment of an interest under a contract of conditional sale, mortgage, assignment of mortgage, lease, equipment trust, notice of tax lien or of other lien, or other instrument affecting title to, or any interest in, aircraft.
(b) A release, cancellation, discharge, or satisfaction of a conveyance named in paragraph (a) of this section.
§ 49.33   Eligibility for recording: general requirements.
A conveyance is eligible for recording under this subpart only if, in addition to the requirements of §§ 49.11, 49.13, and 49.17, the following requirements are met:
(a) It is in a form prescribed by, or acceptable to, the Administrator for that kind of conveyance;
(b) It describes the aircraft by make and model, manufacturer's serial number, and United States registration number, or other detail that makes identification possible;
(c) It is a true copy of an original document, certified under § 49.21, or an original document or a duplicate original document;
(d) It affects aircraft registered under 49 U.S.C. 44101-44104; and
(e) It is accompanied by the recording fee required by § 49.15, but there is no fee for recording a conveyance named in § 49.31(b).
§ 49.35   Eligibility for recording: ownership requirements.
If the seller of an aircraft is not shown on the records of the FAA as the owner of the aircraft, a conveyance, including a contract of conditional sale, submitted for recording under this subpart must be accompanied by bills of sale or similar documents showing consecutive transfers from the last registered owner, through each intervening owner, to the seller.
§ 49.37   Claims for salvage or extraordinary expenses.
The right to a charge arising out of a claim for compensation for salvage of an aircraft or for extraordinary expenses indispensable for preserving the aircraft in operations terminated in a foreign country that is a party to the Convention on the International Recognition of Rights in Aircraft (4 U.S.T. 1830) may be noted on the FAA record by filing notice thereof with the FAA Aircraft Registry within three months after the date of termination of the salvage or preservation operations.
§ 49.41   Applicability.
This subpart applies to the recording of the following kinds of conveyances:
(a) Any lease, a notice of tax lien or other lien (except a notice of Federal tax lien referred to in § 49.17(a)), and any mortgage, equipment trust, contract of conditional sale, or other instrument executed for security purposes, which affects title to, or any interest in, any specifically identified aircraft engine of 550 or more rated takeoff horsepower, or the equivalent of that horsepower, or a specifically identified aircraft propeller capable of absorbing 750 or more rated takeoff shaft horsepower.
(b) An assignment or amendment of, or supplement to, an instrument named in paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) A release, cancellation, discharge, or satisfaction of a conveyance named in paragraph (a) or (b) of this section.
§ 49.43   Eligibility for recording: general requirements.
A conveyance is eligible for recording under this subpart only if, in addition to the requirements of §§ 49.11, 49.13, and 49.17, the following requirements are met:
(a) It affects and describes an aircraft engine or propeller to which this subpart applies, specifically identified by make, model, horsepower, and manufacturer's serial number; and
(b) It is accompanied by the recording fee required by § 49.15, but there is no fee for recording a conveyance named in § 49.41(c).
§ 49.45   Recording of releases, cancellations, discharges, and satisfactions: special requirements.
(a) A release, cancellation, discharge, or satisfaction of an encumbrance created by an instrument recorded under this subpart must be in a form equivalent to AC Form 8050-41 and contain a description of the encumbrance, the recording information furnished to the holder at the time of recording, and the collateral released.
(b) If more than one engine or propeller, or both, are listed in an instrument, recorded under this subpart, that created an encumbrance thereon and all of them are released, they need not be listed by serial number, but the release, cancellation, discharge, or satisfaction must state that all of the encumbered engines or propellers are released. The original recorded document must be clearly identified by the names of the parties, the date of FAA recording, and the document date.
§ 49.51   Applicability.
This subpart applies to the recording of the following kinds of conveyances:
(a) Any lease, a notice of tax lien or other lien (except a notice of Federal tax lien referred to in § 49.17 (a), and any mortgage, equipment trust, contract of conditional sale, or other instrument executed for security purposes, which affects title to, or any interest in, any aircraft engine, propeller, or appliance maintained by or on behalf of an air carrier certificated under 49 U.S.C. 44705 for installation or use in aircraft, aircraft engines, or propellers, or any spare parts, maintained at a designated location or locations by or on behalf of such an air carrier.
(b) An assignment or amendment of, or supplement to, an instrument named in paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) A release, cancellation, discharge, or satisfaction of a conveyance named in paragraph (a) or (b) of this section.
§ 49.53   Eligibility for recording: general requirements.
(a) A conveyance is eligible for recording under this subpart only if, in addition to the requirements of §§ 49.11, 49.13, and 49.17, the following requirements are met:
(1) It affects any aircraft engine, propeller, appliance, or spare part, maintained by or on behalf of an air carrier certificated under 49 U.S.C. 44705;
(2) It contains or is accompanied by a statement by the air carrier certificated under that section;
(3) It specifically describes the location or locations of each aircraft engine, propeller, appliance, or spare part covered by it; and
(4) It is accompanied by the recording fee required by § 49.15, but there is no fee for recording a conveyance named in § 49.51(c).
(b) The conveyance need only describe generally, by type, the engines, propellers, appliances, or spare parts covered by it.
§ 49.55   Recording of releases, cancellations, discharges, and satisfactions: special requirements.
(a) A release, cancellation, discharge, or satisfaction of an encumbrance on all of the collateral listed in an instrument recorded under this subpart, or on all of the collateral at a particular location, must be in a form equivalent to AC Form 8050-41, signed by the holder of all of the collateral at the particular location, and contain a description of the encumbrance, the recording information furnished to the holder at the time of recording, and the location of the released collateral.
(b) If the encumbrance on collateral at all of the locations listed in an instrument recorded under this subpart is released, canceled, discharged, or satisfied, the locations need not be listed. However, the document must state that all of the collateral at all of the locations listed in the encumbrance has been so released, canceled, discharged, or satisfied. The original recorded document must be clearly identified by the names of the parties, the date of recording by the FAA, and the document number.
§ 49.61   Applicability.
The FAA Civil Aviation Registry is designated under Section 3 of the Cape Town Treaty Implementation Act of 2004, as the entry point for authorizing the transmission of information to the International Registry affecting United States civil aircraft, aircraft assigned a U.S. registration number and engines with a rated shaft horsepower of 550 or the equivalent thereof. This subpart applies to the transmission of information to the International Registry; the filing of the Entry Point filing form, AC Form 8050-135; and the filing of documents eligible for recording under subparts C and D of part 49.
§ 49.63   Eligibility for Authorization for Transmission to the International Registry: general requirements.
(a) To send information to the International Registry with respect to a civil aircraft of the United States, an aircraft for which a U.S. identification number has been assigned, or an aircraft engine, a person requesting a unique authorization code from the FAA Aircraft Registry must comply with the following:
(1) File a completed AC Form 8050-135 with the FAA Aircraft Registry; and
(2) For civil aircraft of the United States, file with the FAA Aircraft Registry any documents representing the transaction that meet the requirements of subpart C of this part; or
(3) For aircraft engines, file with the FAA Aircraft Registry any documents representing the transaction that meet the requirements of subpart D of this part.
(b) Nothing in this section requires transmittal of information relating to aircraft engines to the International Registry through the FAA Aircraft Registry.