FAA — ownership and airworthiness file for jet N1098L (Bombardier Global 6500): released in full, 456 pages (2026-05343)
What we asked for: The complete FAA aircraft registry file for the jet registered as N1098L, including its registration, airworthiness, and recorded ownership papers. This was one part of a four-part request. The other three parts asked for Provo, Utah air-traffic-control records for September 10, 2025, and the FAA handled those separately (see below).
What we got: The whole file, with nothing withheld by the FAA. The aircraft is a Bombardier BD-700-1A10 (Global 6500), serial 60098. The papers show Bombardier Inc. selling the new jet to Bombardier Aerospace Corporation on March 7, 2023, and Bombardier Aerospace Corporation selling it to SMBC Leasing and Finance, Inc. on March 20, 2023. The same day, LASAI Aviation II, LLC of Manassas, Virginia signed the application to register it as the lessee under a June 30, 2022 Master Aircraft Lease with SMBC that runs to June 30, 2027. The lease allows it to be subleased to Leidos, Inc. or its wholly owned subsidiaries. A U.S. standard airworthiness certificate was issued March 13, 2023.
Changes made to the plane: The airworthiness file holds FAA Form 337 major-alteration records. Six are dated September 20, 2023: ballast boxes (two forms), cabin insulation, satellite communications, an observer seat, and a "Mission Interior" with a crew rest area. One more is dated February 24, 2025. It says the aircraft "is operating under an Airworthiness Release issued by the Dept of the Army dated 23 Dec, 2024 and Declaration of Department of Defense Contracted Aircraft State Use letter dated 23 Aug, 2024," and that the work must be removed before the aircraft can return to civil use. The registration file also has lease papers for a second jet, N2100L (serial 60100). The rent and money schedules were left out of the FAA filing by the lease parties themselves as confidential; the FAA withheld nothing. The Provo air-traffic parts of the request went to a different FAA office. That office asked on August 12 for more information, and no records from it have been found in the mail archive. In the same letter it said Provo's control tower is a Federal Contract Tower run by a private operator, not part of the FAA, so records kept only by the tower operator are not covered by FOIA and that part of the request is expected to come back "no records."
Fee waiver / faster processing: The FAA charged no fee for the registry file, and the air-traffic office's August 12 request for more information asked about fees and faster processing.
FAA letter Registration file Airworthiness file letter: 2 pages · registration file: 432 pages, 13 MB · airworthiness file: 22 pages