Thanks for the replies. It is not the Avenger that you referred to, and I'm actually not the buyer. I'm doing some leg work for a friend who does not do much stuff on the net. I would think that if you declare an airplane destroyed, whether or not it actually was, would result in the same situation of the airplane no longer existing as a registered/airworthy airplane. So, to put it in the air legally you would have to apply for a new N number, and acquire a new airworthiness certificate by showing that it meets the EAB criteria. If you had the original builders logs it might not be too hard, but since it has already been shown to meet the EAB criteria perhaps that would replace the need for the builders log.

Another thought. I know that if you use factory built pats, like a wing, on your EAB that you cannot claim credit. But that does not apply to homebuilt parts. You can assemble your EAB from as many different EAB parts as you wish, whether you constructed them or not. You would still need to show that those parts met the EAB criteria and quality, and you might not be able to get the repairman certificate, but you should still easily meet the EAB category. Since the destroyed airplane has parts already meeting the EAB criteria could you reuse those parts to build a new airplane. It just happens that those parts are already assembled and ready to fly! Again, this approach relies on the previous Airworthiness Certificate to show EAB compliance for the parts.

While this approach MIGHT work, it would be great if there was a better way.