The FAA is open to reviewing a possible new route to single-pilot operations in certain older Cessna Citation jets, Administrator Bryan Bedford said during NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas on October 22.
The discussion centers on additional pilot training and a supplemental type certificate, which could approve aircraft modifications. Bedford said the approach was worthy of further scrutiny, but stressed that any alternative would have to provide at least an equivalent level of safety. AVweb reported Bedford’s comments and the proposed training-and-modification approach.
The statement does not restore single-pilot privileges. The FAA’s policy took effect on September 29, ending issuance of the relevant training exemptions and requiring existing approvals to be rescinded. Those exemptions had allowed qualified pilots to fly certain Citation aircraft alone even though the aircraft’s operating limitations otherwise required two pilots. The affected group includes the Citation and Citation I, Citation II, S/II, V, Ultra, Bravo, Encore and Encore+ models, according to AeroTime’s report on the FAA’s position and the affected operators.
The FAA said its review identified incomplete records, training that did not meet exemption conditions and improper checks, including falsified records. AVweb reported that the agency also cited an accident rate approximately twice that of comparable Part 23 Citation models approved for single-pilot operations, while noting that the comparison used aircraft counts rather than flight hours.
Industry groups are challenging the broad withdrawal of approvals and are seeking alternatives for operators that complied with the exemption requirements. For now, the FAA has announced neither a revised approval process nor a date for any possible return of single-pilot operations.