Hop-A-Jet Seeks to Bolster FAA Engine Corrosion AD

Charter operator urges regulators to close critical inspection loopholes following fatal Challenger 604 accident.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 12:43 PM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Hop-A-Jet operates a fleet of charter jets out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. [Courtesy: Hop-A-Jet]

Key Takeaways:

Hop-A-Jet is advocating for the FAA to strengthen an Airworthiness Directive (AD) on engine corrosion prevention following a fatal February 2024 crash involving one of its Bombardier Challenger 604 aircraft.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the dual-engine failure was caused by corrosion in the GE CF34-3B engines' variable geometry (VG) system, which was visible in prior borescope imagery but not reported to the operator due to inadequate inspection and reporting protocols.
Hop-A-Jet is calling for the AD to mandate clearer borescope inspection requirements for corrosion, mandatory reporting of corrosion findings to operators and regulators, revisions to maintenance manuals, and improved guidance on responding to "hung starts" to prevent future tragedies.

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Hop-A-Jet is calling on the FAA to strengthen an airworthiness directive (AD) on engine corrosion prevention. The private charter jet operator submitted comments in response to the agency’s release of a notice of proposed rule making (NPRM), Docket No. FAA-2026-3875, for certain GE CF34 engines.

The AD was created in response to the investigation of a February 9, 2024, fatal accident involving a Hop-A-Jet-operated Bombardier Challenger 604 aircraft. The aircraft was on a 5-mile final to Runway 23 at Naples Airport (KAPF) in Florida when both engines began to lose power. The aircraft came down on a freeway at rush hour, struck a road sign and a retaining wall, then caught fire.