Construction number locations (T-Z)

From Scramble - The Aviation Magazine

Introduction

Construction numbers (c/n), also called Manufacturer Serial Numbers (MSN), are the prime way to identify a specific airframe. In contrast to the registration (or tail number), the c/n does not change, even when owner changes occur.

(note: all 'left' and 'right' indications are as you look from tail to nose).

Construction number locations

Manufacturers A to B

Manufacturers C to D

Manufacturers E to G

Manufacturers H to L

Manufacturers M

Manufacturers N to R

Manufacturers S

National regulations

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Tecnam 2.1 Tecnam P2002 3 Tekhnoavia 3.1 SM-92 Finist 4 Transport Allianz 4.1 C-160 Transall 5 Tupolev 5.1 Tu-22M 5.2 Tu-95 & Tu-142 5.3 Tu-124 5.4 Tu-134 5.5 Tu-144 5.6 Tu-154 6 Westland 6.1 WG.13 Lynx 7 Yakovlev 7.1 Yakovlev Yak-18 7.2 Yakovlev Yak-40 7.3 Yakovlev Yak-42 7.4 Yakovlev Yak-50 7.5 Yakovlev Yak-52 7.6 Yakovlev Yak-54 7.7 Yakovlev Yak-55 8 Zlin 8.1 Z-37 Cmelák

Tecnam

Tecnam P2002

The construction number plate is located under the port side elevator.

Tekhnoavia

SM-92 Finist

The construction number is embossed on two small metal plates found on the tips of the stabilizers (beneath the elevator horn balance); thus it is quite tricky to read if the control surfaces are secured by clamps while the aircraft is parked.

Transport Allianz

C-160 Transall

The Aerospatiale plate is located inside the main cabin, just above the door leading to the cockpit.

Tupolev

Tu-22M

The construction number is painted in the bomb bay, visible when looking backwards.

Tu-95 & Tu-142

The construction number is normally found in the nose wheel bay. Another plate should also be present on the flight deck, near the flight engineers position, where the stairs through the nose wheel bay enters the flight deck.

Tu-124

The c/n plate is on the forward bulkhead in the nose wheel bay, but it (sometimes) only has the last four digits of the full c/n stamped in it.

Hardly readable any more due to excessive paint, only 1808 is punched in this plate, although the full c/n is 5351808.

Tu-134

In all versions the construction number plate is to be found on the front bulkhead of the nose wheel bay. As the plate is often painted over many times it is necessary to step on the nose wheel to have a close look.
In addition to this, aircraft with the standard glazed "bomb-aimer" nose have a second construction number plate in the flight deck (on the left-hand wall of the passage leading to the navigator's station). The Tu-134Sh-1/Sh-2 went even one better, though - virtually all civil-registered aircraft carry the registration on a plate or sticker in the cockpit/flight deck as a reminder to facilitate working with air traffic control; the Tu-134 has two such plates affixed to the captain’s and first officer's instrument panel shrouds. On the Tu-134Sh these plates carry the last four digits of the c/n under System 1 (eg, aircraft c/n 2350104 carries "0104") or the complete eight-digit c/n under System 3 instead of a registration.

Tu-144

The line numbers are to be found on all three wheel studs.

Tu-154

The construction number is found on every panel in the cargo bays. These panels have their own sequence number plus the aircraft construction number, for example 1 411, 2 411, 3 411. If no internal access is possible, all main undercarriage wheel doors carry a small 1 x 2 cm plate with the construction number. These plates might, sometimes, be hard to read. In addition, both main undercarriage wheel studs have the construction number stencilled on followed by the Cyrillic letter Л (L) or Р (R) standing for the Russian words for left and right.

Westland

WG.13 Lynx

Yakovlev

(Note: for the Chinese build build CJ5 and CJ6, see Nanchang)

Yakovlev Yak-18

For the Yak-18T the construction number is often stencilled on the rear fuselage beneath the port or starboard stabilizer. It is not (yet) known where the construction number plate of the two-seat Yak-18s can be found.

Yakovlev Yak-40

The construction number often is found painted on the tail in front of the centre engine nozzle.

Yakovlev Yak-42

The construction number is normally found painted on the tail in front of the centre engine nozzle. The last five digits of the construction number are sometimes embossed on largish black plates attached to the rear walls of both main wheel wells. As often as not, however, the construction number is missing from these plates! The construction number is sometimes also found on metal plates attached to the front walls of both main wheel wells.

Yakovlev Yak-50

The actual c/n plate can be found on the fixed part of the rudder. It is located between the fixed and the moving part of the rudder. It is also stencilled below the stabilo.

Yakovlev Yak-52

The actual c/n plate can be found on the fixed part of the rudder. It is located between the fixed and the moving part of the rudder. It often is also stencilled below the horizontal stabilizer. The plate has first the batch number, followed by the number in the batch. Next is the full production date. For the full c/n the production year needs to be put in front of the batch.

Batch 114, number 11, built on 23-01-91, makes c/n 9111411.

Often the c/n is also painted on the outside, as with this Ukrainian Yak-52.

Yakovlev Yak-54

The actual c/n plate can be found on the fixed part of the rudder. It is located between the fixed and the moving part of the rudder. Some new aircrafts have also a c/n plate on the left side of the fuselage, just behind the cockpit.

Yakovlev Yak-55

The c/n is stencilled below the stabilo.

Zlin

Z-37 Cmelák

On the right side of the fuselage, just behind the cockpit.