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 2024 crash of one of its Bombardier Challenger 604 aircraft.
The NTSB concluded the crash was caused by corrosion in the GE CF34 engines' variable geometry (VG) system, leading to a compressor stall and dual-engine failure.
Hop-A-Jet asserts that prior manufacturer-conducted borescope inspections showed visible corrosion, but this was not reported to the operator due to loopholes in existing inspection, reporting, and escalation protocols.
The company is urging the FAA to require clearer borescope inspection mandates, comprehensive reporting of corrosion findings, more frequent checks, and revised maintenance manuals to ensure operators are aware of and can address safety-critical corrosion issues.

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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.