The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency airworthiness directive for certain Embraer business jets after discovering a possible problem with the pitch trim actuator on the horizontal stabilizer.
The directive, effective April 20, applies to EMB-545 and EMB-550 models, including the Legacy 450, Legacy 500, Praetor 500 and Praetor 600.
According to the FAA, the issue was identified during scheduled maintenance checks of pitch trim actuator irreversibility. Regulators warned that failure of one load path increases the risk of failure of both load paths, which could leave the horizontal stabilizer freely moving in flight and potentially result in loss of control.
The emergency directive requires operators to perform immediate inspections and operational checks of the affected system. Aircraft showing faults or abnormal operation must be removed from service until the actuator is replaced and the system successfully retested. Operators are also required to report inspection results.
Flexjet is the largest operator of the Legacy 500 and Praetor series, with a fleet of 112 aircraft—including Legacy 500s, Praetor 500s, and Praetor 600s—based across its U.S. and international operations in Ireland, Malta, and the United Kingdom.
The FAA action follows a similar emergency directive issued by Brazil’s ANAC, the state-of-design authority for Embraer aircraft. European and Canadian regulators have also moved to adopt comparable requirements.
Embraer said the directive is not tied to any in-service event or operational disruption and noted that the Praetor family’s redundant system architecture continues to provide safe operation. The company said it had already issued service guidance to assist operators with compliance.
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