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Aircraft record

N260HP2010 Aviation Specialties Unlimited CHALLENGER III

Registration validUnclaimedSource: FAA, updated Oct 20, 2026

Safety record in brief:1 NTSB accident (destroyed damage, Apr 2006)2 ADs may apply

Registration
Valid
expires Jul 31, 2028
Based in
Washington, DC
owner city / state
Engine
AEIO-540 SER · 260 hp
Lycoming
Owners
1
since 2021
NTSB events
1
destroyed, 2006
ADs may apply
2
confirm with A&P
Service reports
0
since 1995

Registration

FAA Aircraft Registry · Oct 20, 2026
Registered owner
National Air And Space Museum Of The Smithsonian I
Owner type
Government
City, state
Washington, DC
Certificate issued
Jul 19, 2021
Expires
Jul 31, 2028
Airworthiness
Experimental · Amateur Built
Airworthiness date
Apr 27, 2010

We never show street addresses, even though they appear in the public FAA file. Individual owners are shown by city and state only.

Airframe & engine

FAA Registry + type data

Airframe

Manufacturer
Aviation Specialties Unlimited
Model
CHALLENGER III
Year
2010
Serial number
0001
Aircraft type
Fixed wing single engine
Category
Land
Certification
Not Type Certificated
Seats
2
Engines
1
Max takeoff weight
Up to 12,499 lb
Mode S code
A27FBA

Engine

Make and model
Lycoming Aeio-540 Ser
Type
4 Cycle
Power
260 hp

Total time and engine hours aren't public. They appear here once the owner adds logbooks.

Ownership history

Ownership history from FAA records
  1. 2021 – nowNational Air And Space Museum Of The Smithsonian IWashington, DC · current
  2. 2003 – 2007Pitts S2B LLCSalinas, CA · different airframe: 0 Aviation Specialities Unltd Challenger Ii S/N 0001
  3. 1988 – 1996Co-ownersSalinas, CA · different airframe: Aerotek Pitts S2s S/N 1007

Individual owners are shown by city and state only.

Safety record

NTSB · Oct 15, 2026 · FAA ADs · Oct 20, 2026 · SDRs · Oct 16, 2026

NTSB events (1)

Accident · destroyed

Apr 4, 2006 · Coushatta, LA

The loss of control due to premature failure of the elevator's push-pull tube rod-end bearing.

Damage
Destroyed
Injuries
None
Report
DFW06LA094

From NTSB records; matched by serial number.Read NTSB report (search CAROL for DFW06LA094)

ADs published since 1998 that may apply (2)

These match the airframe or engine model. Whether each one applies, and whether it's been complied with, depends on serial numbers, equipment and logbook entries. Applicability must be confirmed by a mechanic against the aircraft's records.

ADSubjectEffectiveApplies to
2005-19-11Lycoming Engines (Formerly Textron Lycoming) AEIO-360, IO-360, O-360, LIO-360, LO-360…Oct 21, 2005Engine (AEIO-540 SER)Only with: Engines rated at 300 HP or lower, manufactured new, rebuilt, or overhauled after March 1, 1999, or that had a crankshaft installed after March 1, 1999.
2004-05-24Lycoming Engines (Formerly Textron Lycoming) AEIO-540, IO-540, LTIO-540, O-540, and…Mar 30, 2004Engine (AEIO-540 SER)Only with: Engines with crankshaft gear retaining bolts P/N STD-2209 installed; excludes O-540-F series engines subject to AD 99-03-05 with bolt not since replaced, engines with bolt installed at original assembly or replaced by Lycoming per SB 554 after November 10, 1998, engines with bolt from replacement kits 05K19987, 05K23325, 05K23326, 05K23327, 05K23335 or 05K23336, and engines with single-drive dual magnetos.

AI-extracted — verify against original. Matched from each AD's applicability section; ADs replaced by a later AD are left out.

Service Difficulty Reports (0)

No Service Difficulty Reports found for this airframe since 1995.

Sources

  • FAA Aircraft RegistryRegistration, owner city and state, airframe, engineupdated Oct 20, 2026
  • NTSB accident and incident databaseAccidents and incidents since 1982updated Oct 15, 2026
  • FAA Airworthiness Directives (Federal Register)ADs published since 1998updated Oct 20, 2026
  • FAA Service Difficulty ReportsReports since 1995updated Oct 16, 2026

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