Overview
- The FAA published the policy in the Federal Register on Tuesday, Sept. 29, rescinding most Part 61 single‑pilot exemptions for specified CE‑500 variants and making the change effective immediately.
- The rule targets transport‑category CE‑500 models certificated for two‑pilot crews and over 12,500 pounds, including the Model 500, 550, S550, 552, and 560 families.
- A two‑year in‑depth review that began in 2024 found that single‑pilot operations of these Part 25 Citations had roughly twice the accident rate of comparable single‑pilot‑certified Citations and cited two fatal 2025 crashes as part of the analysis.
- The FAA reported widespread noncompliance by exemption holders, including incomplete training records, use of unauthorized advanced training devices, improper proficiency checks by designated examiners, and instances of falsified documents; 13 of 14 Part 61 exemption holders were denied extensions or rescinded.
- Industry groups including AOPA, NBAA, and Citation Jet Pilots have asked the FAA to pause or narrow the rescissions and to form an FAA‑industry working group while NTSB accident probes and requests for the FAA’s underlying data continue.