FAA ends single-pilot exemptions for Part 25 Citation business jets

The US FAA is withdrawing exemptions that let a single pilot fly transport-category Cessna Citation business jets certified under Part 25 rules, which normally call for two crew. The policy change takes effect on 29 September.

Some Citation models, including the 500, 550 and 560, are certified under Part 25 and require two pilots. Others sit under Part 23 and may be flown solo if the aircraft is suitably equipped.

Exemptions for solo operation of the Part 25 jets date back to the mid-1980s, when the agency's first such relief was granted. At the time the FAA said it saw no sign that single-pilot Part 23 flying was less safe than two-pilot Part 25 flying. Over the years the agency issued exemptions to training providers, which then endorsed pilots' logbooks so they could fly the jets alone.

That position has shifted. The FAA says an 18-year review of accident rates found that Part 25 Citations flown by one pilot had roughly double the accident rate of Part 23 single-pilot models. The agency said the finding undercuts the condition for granting an exemption — that the relief deliver an equivalent level of safety or cause no harm to safety.

The FAA also pointed to two fatal Cessna accidents still under investigation. In one, a Cessna S550 went below the approach path and hit power lines at San Diego in May last year. In the other, a Cessna 550 struck the ground before the runway at Statesville seven months later, after a low approach while returning to the airport. Poor compliance with the terms of the exemptions also played a part in the decision, the agency said.