Hop-A-Jet Sues GE, Bombardier Over Fatal 2024 Florida Crash
Hop-A-Jet Worldwide Jet Charter (HPJ, Fort Lauderdale Executive) and its affiliated companies have filed a class-action lawsuit in the United States accusing General Electric, Bombardier Aerospace, Learjet, and several aviation maintenance firms of negligence and concealment linked to a fatal 2024 crash near Naples Municipal Airport, Florida, that killed two pilots.
Filed on September 26, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the lawsuit stems from the February 9, 2024, crash of a Challenger 604 aircraft (registration N823KD, msn 5584) operated by Hop-A-Jet. The jet reportedly suffered a dual engine failure due to corrosion in its General Electric CF34-3B engines. Pilots Edward Daniel Murphy and Ian Frederick Hofmann attempted an emergency landing on Interstate 75 near Naples but were killed upon impact. Two passengers, a cabin crew member, and several bystanders survived.
The plaintiffs—Hop-A-Jet, its Part 135 subsidiary ACE Aviation Service, and aircraft owner East Shore Aviation—allege that General Electric had known since at least 2019 that the variable guide vane (VGV) system in its CF34 engine family was prone to hidden corrosion, which could trigger compressor stalls and dual engine failures. The suit claims GE concealed the risks, restricted corrosion coverage under service contracts, and failed to warn operators or update maintenance procedures.
According to the filing, “The cause of the catastrophe was a non-recoverable dual rotating compressor stall arising from corrosion to the variable guide vane (VGV) systems of the CF34-3B engines powering the aircraft.” The plaintiffs argue that GE’s engine design lacked adequate lubrication access and inspection capabilities, allowing corrosion to develop undetected.
The lawsuit also names Bombardier Aerospace, Learjet, Turbine Engine Specialist, and Duncan Aviation as defendants, alleging that they failed to identify or report corrosion during maintenance and inspections, resulting in the aircraft being incorrectly deemed airworthy. The plaintiffs accuse all defendants of prioritizing profit over safety and withholding critical information that could have prevented the crash.
The court has granted extensions for the defendants to respond, with deadlines ranging from October to November 2025. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released the accident docket but has not yet issued its final report.
In separate statements, GE Aerospace and Bombardier expressed condolences to the victims’ families, reaffirming their commitment to safety and cooperation with the ongoing NTSB investigation.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com