1st repack of a Cirrus parachute and it failed when needed. not sure about pulling the chute in this case anyway. Cirrus Chute Deployment Fails Over Texas, Pilot Still Makes Safe Landing | Aero-News Network
This is really quite wrong in two ways. First, it's wrong that the guy didn't think he could fly the airplane in this condition. What happened to partial panel training? Second, it is wrong that the chute didn't work properly, although it might be for the best that it didn't. Descending under the chute into a populated area doesn't seem like all that great of an idea to me.
Cirrus hangs an awful lot of its marketing on that parachute. As an example, in a flight training contract, despite speed differences, two competitors were a DA-40 and a Cirrus. Despite real accident data that the DA-40 was safer, the Cirrus won despite vast increased cost -- in some measure due to the 'ejection seat mentality' that the parachute gives some people. The Cirrus is a great plane, but the chute handle should not be thought of as a 'get out of jail free card'.
Stupid idea to begin with. Cirrus, with their high end avionics, parachutes, and phony de icing systems are creating an entire cadre of button pushing airplane drivers and not pilots. Sold mine and never looked back. One of the first things Curris states in its training during an engine failure is to set the autopilot (!) for best glide speed! Unbelievable ..,
Cirrus has sold a bunch of aircraft (to the wives) because of the parachute. They out sell us 10-20 to 1 when our airframe started out far superior.
Wow. 1st paragraph of that article is just idiotic. I figured the parachute out real quick....rather have control over a city (aim for a park, etc) than descend however the winds choose
I give Cirrus credit, since 2008-2009 they have continued to innovate and correct problems while Cessna has let our airframe languish. If I was buying a new turbo single piston I would seriously look at Cirrus. When it comes to anything before 2009 I think our plane is the way to go speed, handling, and utility certificate. The new Cirrus planes with 5 seats, higher load, and FIKI are nice though. Our club has not been happy with Cessna.
At night? In hard IMC below minimums? Over water? There are many success stories, too, but it may be that the pilot deployed too soon. After all he was able to land just fine.
My Friend ( the guy who pushed me into starting my training) bought a factory demo SR22 from Cirrus a couple of years back and had them install additional back up instruments, ( I cant remember what they are but will find out), before he took delivery, he was amazed that the people at the factory asked him "why he needed them ?" his response of "when the TV's fail I still need to be able to fly the plane" didn't go down well but they put them in. He also was very very firm about me not learning to fly from zero hours at the cirrus school..
They teach the same in all G1000 equipped aircraft. They teach the same for my PC12 with the Honeywell Apex system. Welcome to the 21st century.
Beyond ignorant I am sorry. Autopilots are powered by busses powered by batteries that on a single engine airplane with an engine failure are now in a state of discharge. It isn't 21rst century to lose your flying skills (if they were there to begin with ) to button pushing and slavish devotion to automation. I have a couple of friends on the side of a mountain in Cali (South America) who found that out the hard way. Putting the autopilot on when you should be at the most basic level of automation (you) seems to be the height of folly.
A person in a single engine airplane flying in IFR conditions that are below landing minimums is someone that has decided to treat his life and the life of his passengers terribly cavalierly.
my take, of course always fly the plane first, but the discharge really is insignificant especially with your glass still lit up and it will go 1+ hour(?) anyway which is more than you need to land and if engine gets started again you should be getting charge again. It is all of about 4-5 button pushes to Direct To & Best Glide. The computer will fly the plane more efficiently in this case than you will as you start down the checklists.
ATP types like yourself can skillfully hand fly best glide and direct to nearest field while running though the checklist? I know anyone can do that, I just think even the best pilots would do better with the AP maintaining best glide and heading while you can put all hands and attention to the checklists.
I'm with you on this one Don. His reaction (by deploying the chute) was more a sign of panic than anything else. That being said we can't be too hard on the guy since we weren't there and its easy to be arm chair quarterbacks when we're on terra firma and after the fact. However, I'm still a bit surprised by his reaction. He had the altitude and unless he was spinning out of control I'm not sure why he couldn't still fly the plane with his steam gauges. While I was training we (CFI on board) had an alternator failure and lost the G1000 system out over the desert. Granted it was a clear day so there was no dire emergency but we flew using the steam gauges with no problem. I'm not IFR trained but I'm assuming one of the basic requirements of an IFR rating is to be able to fly "blind" and trust the back up gauges.
You would think so, On my first cross country my instructor had me turn down the displays on the G1000 so they where blank and made me fly on the 3 steam gauges and the compass. I was also puzzled why he deployed and then was able to fly the plane safely but as you say we where not there.
Just spoke to my friend with the SR22, he had back up CDI and glide slope gauges put on left and right side of the PFD & MFD, so no matter what happened to Glass he had enough to fly in IFR conditions.
The aircraft is in the hangar with me here in Addison (large corporate hangar).. Mechanic working on it says the PFD and MFD were fine, it was the MECHANICAL AI that tumbled and he panicked! I have no idea why someone would react like this, but that is what I was told. He lost 6,000 feet in a matter if seconds apparently fixated on this.. Additionally th checklist calls for shutting the engine down prior to deployment (also not done - probably best!) YGBSM... Follows along with training button pushers instead of pilots. Mark
