Cirrus Aircraft Saved by Whole-Plane Parachute

MN – Cirrus Aircraft’s whole-plane parachute system has been successfully deployed for the first time in aviation emergencies related to its jet plane, the Duluth News Tribune reports. The parachutes, long a feature of the company’s prop-driven planes, have been included in the company’s SF50 Vision Jet since its debut in 2016 but haven’t been needed in a non-simulated situation until recently.

There have been two cases this fall: In September, when a pilot deployed the chute after encountering “severe turbulence” near Kissimmee Gateway Airport in Florida, and again, the day after Thanksgiving when a private jet taking off near Indianapolis met engine issues. The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, also known as CAPS, incorporates a rocket-fired parachute developed with St. Paul Ballistic Recovery Systems. Cirrus has recorded 129 emergency landings using the parachutes as of Nov. 25.

The SF50 is heavier and flies higher and faster than its propeller-driven aircraft, so the company needed a larger parachute for the new plane. In 2018, Cirrus received the Robert J. Collier Award for developing the SF50. The honor recognizes recipients “for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year.”

While Cirrus’ parachute system has a long and established track record of bringing slower-flying piston-engine planes safely to the ground in emergencies, the aircraft maker faced a more significant challenge adapting the system to meet the rigors of jet flight, with a significantly larger parachute. The two recent SF50 saves should help dispel any lingering skepticism about the efficacy of installing its whole-frame parachute aboard a jet. However, the parachute is not a cure-all. The company has engaged in an extensive training campaign to instruct pilots when and where to use it before it is too late in an emergency. Cirrus advises pilots that the emergency parachute should be deployed at a minimum altitude of 400 feet to be effective.