FAA Ends Single-Pilot Cessna Citation CE-500 Training Exemptions Following Compliance Review

USA – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ended its policy of granting single-pilot exemptions through training providers for certain Cessna Citation CE-500 aircraft originally certificated for two-pilot operations. The decision, effective 29 September 2026, removes a specialised training and endorsement pathway previously offered by organisations operating under 14 CFR Parts 61, 141 and 142.

• The FAA's compliance investigation found that 13 of 14 Part 61 exemption holders had either been denied extensions or had their exemptions rescinded following failures to meet exemption conditions or respond to regulatory information requests. The FAA has also initiated rescission of remaining valid exemptions and will no longer issue new exemptions under this training-provider arrangement.
• Pilots who previously received single-pilot logbook endorsements through the affected exemption regime can no longer rely on those endorsements to operate aircraft requiring two pilots. However, pilots who successfully completed a 14 CFR 61.58 proficiency check in accordance with the exemption's conditions may continue to use that check to satisfy pilot-in-command requirements for two-pilot operations.
• The investigation, launched in 2024, identified incomplete training records, unauthorised use of Advanced Aviation Training Devices (AATDs) for required flight training and improper proficiency checks conducted by Designated Pilot Examiners (DPEs), including instances involving falsified records. The FAA terminated the examining authority of certain DPEs implicated in falsification.
• The FAA also cited its review of accident data covering 18 years, which indicated that transport-category CE-500 aircraft operated by a single pilot had approximately twice the accident rate of comparable single-pilot Part 23 aircraft. The comparison was based on aircraft counts rather than flight-hour exposure. The regulator additionally referenced fatal Citation accidents in May and December 2025, both of which remained under investigation when the notice was issued.
• The exemption framework dates to 1984, when the FAA first granted relief to Cessna Aircraft Company. It subsequently allowed training providers to conduct the required instruction, checking and logbook endorsements. The FAA identified an oversight gap because exemption-holding training organisations had no continuing responsibility for pilots' subsequent aircraft operations, including notifying them when regulatory relief expired or was withdrawn.
• The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and Citation Jet Pilots Association have questioned the blanket withdrawal and called for reconsideration. AOPA has urged the regulator to distinguish compliant operators from those responsible for regulatory violations.
• The affected transport-category aircraft include the Cessna Citation Model 500/Citation I, 550/Citation II and Bravo, S550/Citation S/II, 552/T-47A and 560/Citation V, Ultra, Encore and Encore+. The change does not remove existing certification-based single-pilot privileges for Citation 501 and 551 aircraft, or the separately certificated CE-525 CitationJet family, subject to their applicable operating limitations and pilot qualification requirements.

Source: Local media