The community of Cirrus private aircraft pilots, owners and others are mourning the recent death of Bellevue, WA insurance broker Shane Sullivan, age 39. Mr. Sullivan died from injuries he sustained after crash landing a Cirrus SR22 (N224GS) near Morton, Washington, last Friday, March 19. A business associate accompanying him, Rebecca Carroll, survived, and is described as being in serious but stable condition at University of Washington Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Ms. Carroll suffered 17 broken bones and teeth, and is in a cast covering over 90% of her body. Fortunately, there were no spinal cord or brain injuries.
Both models, SR22 and SR20, are equipped with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), which is manufactured and supplied to Cirrus Design, Inc. by Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS Aerospace, Inc.) of St. Paul, MN. The aircraft itself in manufactured in Duluth, MN.
There is no evidence that Mr. Sullivan released a plastic cover in the centerline of the cockpit just above his right shoulder, held in place by Velcro, and pulled a red T-handle which would have deployed a solid propellant rocket and launched rearward the fifty-seven foot diameter, 1,000 square foot parachute. If he had, it might have saved his life.
CAPTIONS: (ABOVE LEFT) Video sequence showing Cirrus CAPS parachute being deployed (Cirrus Design, Inc.); (BELOW RIGHT) Cirrus SR22 with parachute fiully deployed (Cirrus Design, Inc.); (BELOW LEFT) Cirrus SR22 instrument panel (Cirrus Design, Inc.)
Two videos follow this article on the CAPS system and aviation insurance.
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As stated in Wikipedia, "Between 2001 and April 2009 62 Cirrus SR22 aircraft crashed, resulting in 48 fatalities." Cirrus Design compares the aircraft with other single engine general aviation incidents in the U.S., between 2007 and 2008. In the table below, the Cirrus SR20 and SR22, which have a combined 3,700 registered aircraft, compare favorably with other brands, finishing behind the Mooney M20 and the Cessna 182.
2007/2008 US General Aviation Mishaps (NTSB) (2007) |
|||||
| US Registered Aircraft (approx.) |
Mishaps/yr. (Fatal) (per 1,000 ac) |
Mishaps/yr. (per 1,000 ac) |
|||
| Mooney M20 | 7,800 | 0.9 | 3.7 | ||
| Cessna 182* | 16,100 | 0.7 | 4.1 | ||
| Cirrus SR20 / SR22 | 3,700 | 1.4 | 4.3 | ||
| Cessna 350 / 400 | 660 | 2.3 | 5.3 | ||
| Cessna 172* | 26,700 | 0.5 | 5.5 | ||
| Beech 36 | 2,850 | 2.3 | 6.4 | ||
| All US-registered SE Aircraft | 146,000 | 1.3 | 7.5 | ||
| Piper PA-46 Malibu / Matrix | 850 | 1.8 | 7.6 | ||
| Diamond (Single Engine) | 1,080 | 0.9 | 7.9 | ||
* Recent model C-172 have a somewhat worse record; C-182 a slightly better record
According to an article in Airline Pilots and Owners Association (AOPA) Online, the Cirrus pilot's operating handbook (POH) states, "The minimum demonstrated altitude loss for a CAPS deployment is 920 feet from a one-turn spin, and pilots are cautioned not to 'waste time and altitude trying to recover from a spiral/spin before activating CAPS'."
The Aero News Network states that a Seattle-based insurance firm, London Aviation Underwriters, and others, have waived the entire airframe deductible for Cirrus SR20 and SR22 pilots who deploy the parachute to save their lives. As of September 2009, CAPS has been activated 20 times with 37 survivors and 4 fatalities.
CAPS is the brainchild of Alan Klapmeier, co-founder, CEO and president of Cirrus Design from 1984 to 2009, and BSR Aerospace founder Boris Popov. According to Wikipedia, "In 1998 the company collaborated with Cirrus Design to develop the first recovery parachute system to be used on a type certified aircraft, the Cirrus SR20. In 2002 the company received a supplemental type certificate to install their parachute system in the Cessna 172, followed by the Cessna 182 in 2004 and the Symphony SA-160 in 2006."
Not everyone agrees that Cirrus is a safer aircraft because of its parachute. In his article Dead Pilots Don't Lie, writer Steve Wilson lays out a compelling argument against the Cirrus safety record.
We would like to know you thoughts, especially if you are a Cirrus owner, or a pilot who has flown aircraft with CAPS. Please leave comments below or by email and subscribe to get future updates.
Comments
Personally, I wish I could carry a parachute anytime I travel. It is the one thing I don't like about flying; no parachute.
Velcro in a plane part? Scary!
I wonder why he didn't deploy the parachute? Too panicked? Not enough time? We will never know...
Comment received via email on 3/25/10 at 6:44 AM
Hi Joel,
I work for London Aviation Underwriters, Inc. in Seattle and I want to thank you for mentioning us in your article.
We appreciate the exposure you have given us.
We have had success in underwriting Cirrus aircraft over the years. It is a great aircraft. We were involved in the first deployment of the Cirrus Aircraft Parachute System in a certified aircraft by pilot Lionel Morrison.
Thanks again!
Best regards,
Brian McGinty
Underwriter
London Aviation Underwriters, Inc.
phone 206-285-5401 fax 206-284-9808
Sad...but excellent article and excellent coverage.
I have quite a few hours in cirrus aircraft either as PIC or as a passenger. the first thing that you are taught as part of your pre-flight checks is to remove the velcro attached plastic cover covering the CAPS handle and the pin from the release handle.
IMHO it is very difficult to get into trouble with this aircraft without putting the aircraft in a compromised position either due to weather or placing it in a unrecoverable attitude.
The BRS chute is your last resort in terms of survival but if you dont do your pre-flight checks correctly then it is as much use as a choclate firegaurd.
17 broken bones - ouch!
The problem is the loss of any ability to control the aircraft once the chute is deployed.
For my money I would rather have control - have you ever seen what happens to balloons when they lose control?
JetAviator7
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