
NAPLES, Fla. — In September 2025, Hop-A-Jet Worldwide Jet Charter, along with its subsidiaries ACE Aviation and East Shore Aviation, filed a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida over a February 2024 private jet crash on I-75 near Naples that killed both pilots.
The complaint targets a number of defendants, including General Electric Company, GE Aerospace, Bombardier Inc., Learjet Inc., Turbine Engine Specialists, and Duncan Aviation, asserting claims of negligence, product liability, failure to warn, and conspiracy to conceal defects. According to the lawsuit, the jet—operated under Hop-A-Jet’s Part 135 charter service—abruptly lost both engines in the final approach and attempted to land on I-75, ultimately crashing and killing pilots Edward Daniel Murphy and Ian Frederick Hofmann. Three other occupants survived.
At the heart of the suit is an allegation that the GE CF34-3B engines suffered undetected corrosion in the variable guide vane (VGV) systems—a vulnerability the plaintiffs contend GE knew about as early as 2019. The complaint claims GE’s design choices limited inspection and lubrication access, that the company withheld warnings from operators, and that maintenance firms failed to catch signs of corrosion during inspections. The lawsuit seeks damages for lost revenue, the cost of the crash, attorneys’ fees, and injunctive relief, including mandated fleetwide inspections and safety bulletins.
Defendants have been granted extensions to respond, and GE has publicly expressed condolences and cooperation with the ongoing National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation. The NTSB has not yet issued a final report.
Sources / Further reading:
- WGCU PBS & NPR for Southwest Florida
- Aviation International News
- ch-aviation
- WBBH
- FOX 4 News Fort Myers WFTX
- https://www.mysuncoast.com
- Wikipedia
- yahoo.com
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