Lockheed P-38
13 on the U.S. register across 6 versions the FAA records separately. Built from 1941 to 1945; half of them date from 1944 or earlier. Washington has the most (2). 85% are registered to companies, flight schools, clubs and other organisations; the rest to individuals, who are not named here at this time.
About the P-38 from the FAA's model table
- Type
- Fixed-wing, multi-engine · Piston twins
- Power
- Piston (reciprocating), 2 engines
- Common engines
- Allison V1710 Series (6), Allison V1710 Ser (5), Ama/Expr Unknown Eng (1)
- Fuel
- 100LL avgas
- Seats
- 1 (up to 12 in some versions)
- Cruise speed
- about 288 mph
- Built of
- aluminium
- Maker on the register
- Lockheed
- Registered
- earliest certificate March 3, 1982; newest April 24, 2026
Where they are owner's state
Who owns them registrant type
By owner type, as a table
| aircraft | share | |
|---|---|---|
| Corporation | 6 | 46% |
| LLC | 5 | 38% |
| Individual | 1 | 8% |
| Co-owned | 1 | 8% |
Versions as the FAA records them · click one to list only those aircraft
Airworthiness certificate class
By airworthiness certificate, as a table
| aircraft | share | |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental | 8 | 62% |
| Limited | 3 | 23% |
| Standard | 1 | 8% |
| Restricted | 1 | 8% |
Biggest operators companies, schools and clubs
Largest fleets, as a table
| aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Worlds Greatest Aircraft Collection INC | 1 |
| Windward Aviation INC | 1 |
| Wartime History Museum INC | 1 |
| Vintage Fighters LLC | 1 |
| Planes of Fame Air Museum | 1 |
| P-38 LLC | 1 |
| N79123 LLC | 1 |
| Lightning LLC | 1 |
| Comanche Maverick Air LLC | 1 |
| Aircraft Registration INC Trustee | 1 |
| Air Legends Foundation | 1 |
Fleet pages: Worlds Greatest Aircraft Collection INC · Windward Aviation INC · Wartime History Museum INC · Planes of Fame Air Museum · Comanche Maverick Air LLC · Aircraft Registration INC Trustee · Air Legends Foundation
Accident history NTSB records · 2 cases since 1982, 1 fatal
The 2 most recent of 2 cases where the NTSB's make and model match this family's versions. Each aircraft's own page also shows its record. How this model compares with others, with the fleet taken into account: Accidents by model in Aviation Analytics.
Questions people ask answers refresh every morning
How many Lockheed P-38 aircraft are registered in the U.S.?
13 as of November 5, 2026, counting 6 versions the FAA records separately.
Which state has the most Lockheed P-38s?
Washington, with 2.
Who owns the Lockheed P-38?
85% are registered to companies, flight schools, clubs and other organisations; the rest to individuals and co-owners, who are not named on this site at this time.
When were the Lockheed P-38s on the register built?
Between 1941 and 1945; half of them in 1944 or earlier.
How many Lockheed P-38 accidents has the NTSB recorded?
2 accidents and incidents since 1982, 1 of them fatal. A model flown more shows more; the accident analytics compare models per thousand registered.
What is the Lockheed P-38 made of?
The airframe is aluminium: sheet metal over a riveted frame, the way most aircraft have been built since the 1940s. The FAA's type certificate data sheet is the authority for any one model.
What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Lockheed P-38 the component layer
The airframe is aluminium: sheet metal over a riveted frame, the way most aircraft have been built since the 1940s. The design is held under 1 type certificate (LTC-10, held by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation). The FAA has issued 1 airworthiness directive (orders that owners must comply with) that name this model, most of them about other and general. Operators and repair shops have filed 4 failure reports with the FAA since 2005, 4 of them in the last ten years: about 30.8 a year for every 100 aircraft on the register; the system most often named is landing gear.
FAA orders 1 airworthiness directives · newest first
By system
Orders by system, as a table
| orders | share | |
|---|---|---|
| Other and general | 1 | 100% |
Failure reports 4 since 2005 · what operators and shops told the FAA
Failure reports by year, as a table
| reports | |
|---|---|
| 05 | 4 |
By system
Failure reports by system, as a table
| reports | share | |
|---|---|---|
| Landing gear | 4 | 100% |
Parts most often reported as the reports name them
Latest reports
Approved replacement parts 5 parts manufacturer approvals
Parts a company other than the maker may make for this design and sell as FAA-approved. The companies holding the most:
Most often: diaphragm (3), disc stationary (1), disc rotating (1).
Certificates and bulletins
Sources: the FAA's type certificate data sheets, airworthiness directives, supplemental type certificates, special conditions and special airworthiness information bulletins (Dynamic Regulatory System), and the FAA's service difficulty reports. A failure report is what an operator or repair station chose to file; the counts show reporting as much as reliability, and larger and commercial fleets report more. How the systems are grouped.
Connections how the P-38 links to the rest of the register
- Lockheed 197 aircraft on the register
- Lockheed P-38L 6 registered
- Lockheed P-38J 2 registered
- Lockheed P-38L-5 2 registered
- Lockheed P-38L-5LO 1 registered
- Lockheed P38F 1 registered
- Lockheed P38F-5 1 registered
- Built of aluminium
- Allison (Rolls-Royce) V1710 series 11 of these aircraft · 1500 hp
- Washington 2 of these aircraft
- Texas 2 of these aircraft
- Oregon 2 of these aircraft
- California 2 of these aircraft
- Minnesota 1 of these aircraft
- Worlds Greatest Aircraft Collection INC 1 of these aircraft
- Windward Aviation INC 1 of these aircraft
- Wartime History Museum INC 1 of these aircraft
- Vintage Fighters LLC 1 of these aircraft
- Planes Of Fame Air Museum 1 of these aircraft
- NTSB accidents and incidents involving the P-38 2 cases since 1982 · 1 fatal
- FAA orders naming the P-38 1 airworthiness directives
- Failure reports filed on the P-38 4 reports since 1995
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/model/lockheed/p-38.json.
Aircraft newest certificates first · 13
| Tail no. | Maker and model | Owner and base | Certificate | Registered | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N12652 | Lockheed P38F-5 |
Comanche Maverick Air LLC Houston, Texas |
Experimental | 2026-04-24 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N988J | Lockheed P-38J |
Wartime History Museum INC Tacoma, Washington |
Experimental | 2024-12-11 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N17630 | Lockheed P38F |
Air Legends Foundation San Antonio, Texas |
Experimental | 2023-10-04 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N25Y | Lockheed P-38L-5LO |
Aircraft Registration INC Trustee Kematen, |
Experimental | 2021-12-21 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N53095 | Lockheed P-38L |
Individual owner Oregon |
Limited | 2021-04-21 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N505MH | Lockheed P-38L |
Lightning LLC Stow, Massachusetts |
Limited | 2020-04-20 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N7723C | Lockheed P-38L |
Vintage Fighters LLC Caldwell, Idaho |
Standard | 2018-07-12 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N2114L | Lockheed P-38L |
P-38 LLC Beaverton, Oregon |
Experimental | 2016-04-21 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N79123 | Lockheed P-38L-5 |
N79123 LLC Granite Falls, Minnesota |
Experimental | 2010-04-08 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N138AM | Lockheed P-38J |
Planes of Fame Air Museum Chino, California |
Experimental | 1998-09-18 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N718 | Lockheed P-38L |
Co-owned owner California |
Experimental | 1996-08-06 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N3JB | Lockheed P-38L |
Windward Aviation INC Seattle, Washington |
Limited | 1983-12-08 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N2897S | Lockheed P-38L-5 |
Worlds Greatest Aircraft Collection INC Polk City, Florida |
Restricted | 1982-03-03 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |