The Scissortail Brief | April 20–26, 2026

Each week, Scissortail looks back at the news of the previous seven days and aggregates it for you in The Scissortail Brief. This week, the NTSB closed the book on the Hop-A-Jet crash with a final report that every CF34 operator should read, FBO Jet-A prices hit a national average of $8.63 per gallon in April and are reshaping trip planning for Part 91 and Part 135 operators, the DOT reported progress on ATC modernization at the Modern Skies Summit, and Textron got FAA approval for Starlink on the Citation Ascend.

So read on, BizAv family. You might find something useful.

Safety: NTSB Final Report on Hop-A-Jet Flight 823

On April 23, the NTSB released its final report on the February 9, 2024, crash of a Hop-A-Jet Bombardier Challenger 604 on Interstate 75 near Naples, Florida. Two pilots were killed. A flight attendant and two passengers survived, evacuating through the rear baggage compartment door after the aircraft came to rest against a concrete barrier in the southbound lanes.

The probable cause: corrosion in the variable geometry (VG) system components of both GE CF34-3B engines. The corrosion caused the VG systems to run off-schedule, triggering near-simultaneous sub-idle rotating compressor stalls on approach and a loss of thrust in both engines. The crew radioed dual engine failure about five miles from Naples Municipal Airport and attempted to land on I-75. The aircraft struck a Chevrolet Silverado and a Nissan Armada before stopping.

The aircraft had been based in Barbados under a prior operator, then moved to Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, roughly four nautical miles from the Atlantic shoreline. Chemical analysis of recovered engine parts found residue consistent with sea-salt contamination. The NTSB concluded the corrosion accumulated over years of exposure to marine environments.

About 25 days before the crash, both engines experienced a hung-start condition. Maintenance followed the manufacturer's troubleshooting flowchart, replaced air filters, and confirmed the engines restarted and ran normally. Because they ran normally, the procedure was stopped before reaching the step that would have required a borescope inspection of the VG system. The aircraft was returned to service and flew 33 flights without incident before the accident.

The report also notes that a 2020 pre-purchase inspection by Duncan Aviation included borescopes of both engines that revealed corrosion on the compressor cases around the VGV system bushing bore holes. That finding was not recorded in the aircraft logbooks. In 2021, GE issued a Category 1 service bulletin (their highest urgency level) on the CF34 family following a similar incident on a related engine variant. The FAA issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive covering commercial operators on the CF34-8. The CF34-3B engines on the Challenger 604 were not included under that directive.

Since the accident, GE has revised its hung-start troubleshooting guidance to move the VG pressure check to the beginning of the diagnostic process. Several service bulletins have been issued for CF34 business jet engines, and hundreds of engines have been inspected under the updated guidance.

Hop-A-Jet has filed a federal lawsuit naming GE Aerospace, Bombardier, Learjet, Turbine Engine Specialists, and Duncan Aviation, alleging poor engine design, failure to disclose corrosion risks, and documentation failures. The company stated publicly that it considers the NTSB's findings an accurate assessment of the accident.

If you operate a CF34-powered aircraft, the updated GE service bulletins are where to start. The full NTSB report is publicly available HERE.

Fuel: What FBO Prices Are Doing to Operations

As of April 27, the national average for Jet-A at U.S. FBOs sits at $7.83 per gallon across more than 3,200 reporting locations, per GlobalAir data. The April monthly average came in at $8.63 per gallon according to Aviation Research Group U.S., which surveys 200-plus FBOs on full retail pricing including taxes and fees. That's up $1.77 from March and up $2.03 from a year ago.

The regional spread is wide. The Central region is the lowest at $6.73 per gallon. The Southern and Western regions are running $9.37. Alaska is at $8.72. The Great Lakes saw the largest single-month increase in April, up $2.23 from March. On a given cross-country trip, the difference between fueling smart and fueling out of habit can now run $3.00 per gallon or more.

For Part 135 operators, the pricing mechanics work differently than the commercial side. Airlines sold tickets months ago at prices that don't reflect current fuel costs. Charter operators generally price closer to departure, and most contracts include fuel surcharge provisions that allow some cost recovery. The issue is client tolerance. Our charter brokerage arm, Scissortail Jets, is seeing quotes up across the board, and operators are fielding more questions about why. The short answer is that Jet-A at retail FBO prices is up more than 30% since the Iran conflict disrupted Strait of Hormuz traffic earlier this year. The underlying supply picture has not changed, and there is no near-term resolution on anyone's published timeline.

For Part 91 operators, the tankering decision has gotten more deliberate. Carrying fuel from a lower-cost stop now pencils out on a wider range of mission profiles than it did at $5.50 or $6.00 per gallon. Flight departments that haven't reviewed their fuel programs and contracted pricing in the last 60 days are likely leaving money on the ramp.

Infrastructure: DOT/FAA ATC Modernization Update

On April 21, NBAA participated in the DOT's Modern Skies Summit in Washington and issued a statement supporting the administration's progress on the brand-new ATC system. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reported that the FAA has replaced nearly half of all copper wiring across the NAS and converted legacy radio systems to digital as part of the modernization push. The FAA has brought on 2,400 new controller hires in the past 12 months.

The prime integrator on the project, Peraton, reported that thousands of telecommunications connections have been upgraded nationwide. Radar upgrades are underway for both terminal and surface systems, and new surface awareness tools are being deployed to improve aircraft and ground vehicle tracking, targeting low-visibility operations specifically.

The administration has set a target of completing the full modernization in under three years. NBAA has been a founding member of the Modern Skies Coalition, which includes roughly 60 stakeholder organizations advocating for the effort.

For business aviation operators, the surface tracking improvements are the most near-term relevant item. Better ground vehicle transponder integration at busy airports addresses one of the contributing factors in the Reagan National collision directly.

Textron: Starlink on the Ascend

Textron Aviation announced this week that Starlink high-speed connectivity is available as an aftermarket upgrade on the Citation Ascend, with FAA and EASA approval in hand. Installations are available through Textron Aviation service centers in the U.S. and select international locations.

That's The Brief

The Hop-A-Jet final report is the story of the week for safety. Fuel prices are the story for operations. The ATC modernization effort is moving, and the surface tracking improvements are worth watching for anyone who flies in and out of complex airspace regularly.

The Week in One Sentence: The NTSB's final Hop-A-Jet report traced a fatal dual-engine failure to salt-air corrosion and a maintenance process that stopped one step short, FBO Jet-A averaged $8.63 per gallon nationally in April with a $2.03 year-over-year increase that is changing how Part 91 and Part 135 operators plan trips, and the DOT reported progress on ATC modernization at the Modern Skies Summit.