FAA Rescinds Single-Pilot Training Exemptions for Cessna Citation CE-500 Series

Docket No.: FAA-2026-12343 | Scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on 9/28/2026

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced it will cease issuing exemptions that allow certain Cessna Citation CE-500 series aircraft — which are type-certificated to require two pilots — to operate as a single-pilot operation. Current exemption holders will have their exemptions rescinded, and pilots who obtained single-pilot endorsements through those exemption holders must cease single-pilot operations immediately, as no regulatory relief remains available to them.

Why the FAA is acting

• A 2024 compliance review found widespread non-compliance with the conditions and limitations (C&Ls) of the exemptions, including incomplete records, improper training conducted in advanced aviation training devices contrary to the C&Ls, and falsified records by designated pilot examiners (DPEs).
• As a result, 13 of the 14 Part 61 exemption holders were denied an extension or had their exemption rescinded.
• A review of CE-500 accidents over the last 18 years found that Part 25 CE-500 aircraft operated single-pilot are involved in approximately twice the accident rate of comparable Part 23 aircraft flown single-pilot.
• A fatal accident on May 22, 2025 (NTSB WPR25FA161) killed six on board and injured eight on the ground; the pilot had received an improper check six months earlier from a DPE employed by a Part 61 exemption holder.
• A second accident in Statesville, NC on December 18, 2025 (NTSB WPR26MA063) involved a CE-500 variant operating without a qualified second-in-command.

What this means for affected pilots

Pilots holding a logbook endorsement authorizing single-pilot operation of a CE-500 aircraft must now comply with 14 CFR §§ 91.9 and 91.531 and operate in a two-pilot configuration consistent with the aircraft's type certificate data sheet. Pilots who completed a § 61.58 proficiency check under the exemption's C&Ls may still use that check toward the pilot-in-command requirements for two-pilot operations.

Models affected include the Citation I/II/S/II, T-47A, Citation V/Ultra, Bravo, Encore, and Encore+ — all requiring 2 pilots under the new policy.

For technical questions, the FAA directs inquiries to AFS-810, Training and Certification Group (9-AFS-800-Correspondence@faa.gov).

Industry response: NBAA and CJP request a temporary stay

On September 29, 2026, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and the Citation Jet Pilots Association (CJP) formally requested a temporary stay of the FAA's rescission of the single-pilot training exemptions for the affected Cessna Citation aircraft. The joint letter asks the FAA to hold the rescission in abeyance while a more durable, safety-focused path forward — such as enhanced training and compliance oversight — is developed with industry, rather than an immediate, blanket cessation of all single-pilot CE-500 operations.

Read the NBAA / CJP letter requesting a temporary stay (PDF)