Chasing a history N2274D.

dlords · Post by **dlords** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:28 pm

My father and I purchase a 170B N2274D as a restoration project. The airplane has been diassembled for many many years. It has also gone though seveal different owner that never registered the airplane. There are no logs and what history i can piece together is fragmented. I was wondering if anyone out there in the 170 community has owned, know someone who owned, or even seen this airplane. The last know registered owner is a Wilbur Provost from Miami Flordia. I know the airplane has been in Massachusetts, and we bought it from a gentleman in Pennsylvania. Any help would be great

rupertjl · Post by **rupertjl** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:32 pm

dlords,

I know a few people in PA that had 170, I don't need a name but what part of PA did it come from?

v/r,
Jud

dlords · Post by **dlords** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 4:24 pm

the airplane spent about 35 years around the Bryantville, MA, area, with a gentleman by the name of wilbur Provost

sphillips · Post by **sphillips** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 11:13 pm

You can request from the FAA via the internet a history of ownership and airworthiness of the plane for $6.25 on CD.

Post by **GAHorn** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 6:50 am

Don't forget that tailnumbers can change... whenever researching an airframe, base your work on serial number whenever possible.

KMac · Post by **KMac** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 2:49 am

AOPA has a good title search service - I think it cost about $100 but they came up with all the previous owners and 337s and stuff on my 170.

Post by **GAHorn** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 3:43 am

AOPA also screws up occasionally. I remember when selling my Baron that I'd represented it as "no damage history", and a potential buyer spent some money having it inspected, only to offer to sue me for "misrepresentation" if I didn't refund his inspection money.
He made the comment that AOPA had discovered/revealed to him my airplane had been landed gear up back in 1982 or something like that. I told him politely that I didn't think that was true, and I wasn't about to pay him to inspect my airplane for his own purposes.
His "lawyer" wrote me a letter quoting the AOPA report, showing how that N-number had landed gear up in an accident report back in the early 80's in Virginia, and offering me a preview "copy" of his law-suit filing against me.
When I researched the NTSB accident reports I finally found it and, sure enough, that tail number was geared up.... it even damaged the tip tanks. HUH? Tip tanks? On a BARON???
Turned out the airplane in question was actually a Cessna 401! Not a Baron! And it was after my Baron had been assigned a new tail number, and the old tail number had gotten re-assigned to the Cessna!
When his lawyer called me back with a last-chance offer to settle out of court over the inspection fees I took great pleasure in telling him how incompetent both he and his "client" was and to go take a hike.
Gawd! That felt good! (So even tho' I'm a member, I don't use AOPA for title searches because they apparently don't proof their work. They just run the number and don't read the report before sending out.
I usually use U.S. Insured Aircraft Title in OKC. I've never had anything but excellent service from them, and at competitive prices. Just a personal preference.

sphillips · Post by **sphillips** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 1:11 pm

In my search for a 170B, I ordered from the FAA the historical and registration histories for 6 aircraft at a cost of $6.25 each. When I found a plane I thought I was going to buy, I ordered a title search from the AOPA for $100. I received from the AOPA the same info I had received from the FAA, plus an official letter stating that they dont guarantee that there are no other incumberances. So, I dont think you get your moneys worth with the AOPA search.

doug8082a · Post by **doug8082a** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 2:12 pm

AOPA is not the only one to screw up. Everyone makes mistakes at one time or another. If you google my 170B - N8082A you'll find an NTSB report of an engine failure and gear collapse in 1976. There's just a couple "problems" with the report:

1. The incident happened in San Diego (N8082A hasn't left the Northeast US since it was delivered from Cessna in 1952)

2. The plane on the report is a Beech 35

which clearly N8082A is NOT.

Since I have the logs back to day 1 and can clearly support the fact that N8082A has been assigned to a 1952 C170B s/n 20934 for the last 54 years, obviously somebody made an error.

Interestingly, I received a fuel bill from somewhere in Texas a few years ago for a Beech 35 claiming to have my tail number - I wonder if it was the same plane?

cessna170bdriver · Post by **cessna170bdriver** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 2:43 pm

Doug,

I did a search on N8802A, and guess what: it's a Beech 35 based in Los Alamitos, CA! Probably the same aircraft in both instances. http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry ... rtxt=8802a

Miles

Post by **GAHorn** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 5:48 pm

Well...there IS a difference between 8082A and 8802A.

doug8082a · Post by **doug8082a** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 11:08 pm

cessna170bdriver wrote:Doug,

I did a search on N8802A, and guess what: it's a Beech 35 based in Los Alamitos, CA! Probably the same aircraft in both instances. http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry ... rtxt=8802a

Miles

Well, whaddaya know... I'll bet it was the same guy too. The event in San Diego happened 10/31/76. According to the FAA listing, the registration was issued 8/20/76 - about 10 weeks prior to the incident. Hhhmmmmm......

Boy, nothing like hijacking a thread, eh? Gee, that NEVER happens here...

(sorry, dlords

)

jrenwick · Post by **jrenwick** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 1:20 am

I too have used the AOPA title search, and received exactly the same information that I would have received if I had ordered the CD from FAA -- but I received it the next day, instead of a week or two later. When you're bidding on an airplane, time can make a difference. I think that's what you're really paying for with AOPA. If you know how to order the CD and search NTSP records on the web, I believe speed is really the only advantage of using AOPA for this service.

Best Regards,

John

Post by **GAHorn** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 2:05 am

One can spend/waste a lot of money researching/viewing airplanes if not careful. I got tired of buying records on aircraft that got sold before I could determine the real condition of the thing.
I resorted to carefully questioning the seller, then making an offer based upon the seller's representation...and with the seller's understanding that I would be having the research done, and that if anything was found that disagreed with his representaion...that the offer would be amended. Only after my offer was accepted under that condition and mutual agreement, did I order a title/history search.
Another way to weed out the junk is to have the seller deliver the airplane to the place of pre-purchase inspection (annual) with the understanding that if it's as represented...the price will be paid and the delivery fee will be reimbursed. If the airplane does not meet the seller's basic claims, then the offer is amended and delivery fees are the expense of the seller.
Otherwise you're likely to spend tons of your aircraft-purchase dollar travelling all around the country looking at junk and reading fiction.