N197L - 1947 Beech D18S Aircraft Registration

N197L is a 1947 Beech D18S, a twin-engine reciprocating (piston) aircraft registered to American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum in Dallas, TX. This aircraft holds a standard airworthiness certificate issued by the Federal Aviation Administration on March 28, 1956. The registration certificate was issued on September 6, 2016. The registration is set to expire on September 30, 2029. Powered by a P&w R-985 SERIES engine producing 450 horsepower, N197L is. The aircraft's Mode S transponder code is A18326 (hex), used for ADS-B identification and flight tracking. N197L was last tracked by AviatorDB at coordinates 30.4660, -95.3817 on March 14, 2026. The FAA registry record for N197L was last updated on March 25, 2026. AviatorDB monitors aircraft positions through ADS-B surveillance data and updates records as new position data is received.

The Beechcraft Model 18, known as the "Twin Beech," holds the record for the longest continuous production run of any piston-engine aircraft in aviation history. First flown on January 15, 1937, it was a low-wing twin-engine monoplane that could carry six to eight passengers or equivalent cargo loads. Spanning 32 years of production with over 9,000 aircraft built in 32 variations, it measured just over 35 feet in length with twin Pratt & Whitney Wasp Jr. radial engines. The aircraft was manufactured by Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. AviatorDB tracks 18,376 Beech aircraft currently registered in the FAA database. The ICAO type designator for this aircraft model is BE18.

AviatorDB has found no NTSB accident or incident reports involving N197L. AviatorDB cross-references all FAA registration data with NTSB accident and incident reports, providing a comprehensive safety overview for every registered aircraft in the United States.