A corporate Cirrus SR22 single engine fixed wing aircraft (N224GS) registered to Washtucna Aviation LLC of Bellevue, WA, crashed last night, Friday, March 19, at approximately 7:15 p.m. PDT in the front yard of a house near Morton, Washington, on Highway 508, southwest of Mount Rainier, killing the pilot, Shane Sullivan, age 39, of Bellevue, WA and injuring a passenger, Rebecca Carroll, a business associate. The woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition. There were no injuries to anyone on the ground.
Mr. Sullivan was a well respected member of his community, and the owner of Cascade Risk Placement, Inc., an insurance brokerage firm. He leaves behind a wife and two young daughters.Please see the following article, Cirrus CAPS parachute saves lives, for updates.
CAPTIONS: (ABLOVE LEFT) Remains of Cirrus SR22 which crashed on March 19, 2009 in Morton, WA (Photo by Sarah Erskine); (BELOW RIGHT) Cirrus SR 22 with parachute deployed (Photo from Cirrus Design, Inc.); (BELOW LEFT) Remains of Cirrus SR22 which crashed on March 19, 2009 in Morton, WA (Photo by Sarah Erskine); (BELOW RIGHT BOTTOM) Cirrus SR22 showing how the doors open (Wikipedia/public domain);
Two videos follow this dispatch with additional news on the Cirrus crash and its CAPS system.
Recent articles: Be sure to read expanded coverage on recent news events below.
Cirrus CAPS parachute saves lives
Cirrus SR22 crash kills pilot
Lancair IV-P has killed others
Plane kills jogger on the beach
Bizarre aviation incidents
SAN Green Build progress report
Green Build local opportunities
Non invasive security scanners
Use care in choosing a lawyer
Airlines Examiner on VOA
Is Boeing to blame for ET409?
Ethiopia levels serious charges
Aviation law and compensation
Possible causes of ET409 crash
All ET409 victims recovered
How black boxes survive crashes
ET409 pilot had premonition
Second plane in ET409 crash
Mystery deepens in ET409 crash
ET409 black box recovered
Lebanon and Cameroon crash similar
Black box eludes Beirut searchers
Ethiopian Airlines black boxes found
Fast turn by Ethiopian 737 pilot
Boeing and NTSB probe 737 crash
According to Kristi Dunks, an air safety investigator with the NTSB, whom we contacted by telephone, a five member investigative team arrived on site at 8:00 a.m. this morning, March 20. It is composed of Ms. Dunks, two FAA representatives, an individual from Cirrus Design Corporation, the maker of the aircraft based in Duluth, MN, and a representative from Teledyne Continental Motors, the manufacturer of the aircraft's engine.
The aircraft uses a Continental IO-550-N six cylinder horizontally opposed aircraft engine
and a 3-bladed propeller. It has a cruising speed of 213 mph (343 km/h, 185 knots), and a stall speed with flaps
down of 69 mph (110 km/h, 60 knots), and a range of over 1,000 miles (1,943 km). It has been the world's best-selling single-engine, four-seat aircraft for several years.
The Cirrus SR22 is unique in that it contains an aircraft parachute deployment system (CAPS). Initial reports have determined that the parachute mechanism was activated, but possibly deployed after impact, Ms. Dunks stated.
According to Ms. Dunks, "The investigative team will conclude examining the wreckage today, and the aircraft will then be removed to a storage facility in the Seattle area for further study. A preliminary report should be issued within 5 business days with a final determination issued in six to nine months."
Aviation attorney Mike Danko, of San Mateo, CA, who himself owns and pilots a Cirrus SR22, has remarked that this FAA certified aircraft is unique in offering that feature. Said Mr. Danko, "Originally, 
some thought that the parachute was a marketing tool designed to calm fears of the pilot's wife, but it has actually saved lives in multiple situations."
Between 2001 and April 2009, 62 Cirrus SR22 aircraft have crashed, resulting in 48 fatalities. Perhaps the most famous accident involving a Cirrus aircraft, a model SR20, occurred on October 11, 2006 in a plane flown by New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle. His plane crashed into the Belaire Apartments in New York City, killing Lidle and his flight instructor Tyler Stanger. Twenty-one others were injured in that accident, including eleven fire fighters. The apartment building burned for over two hours.
In researching this story the Airlines/Airport Examiner contacted the NTSB, theLewis County Washington sheriff's department, and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA.
We would like to hear your thoughts. Please leave comments below or by email and subscribe to get future updates.
Comments
Boy, these small plane crashes seem to be in the news lately! I wonder if that statistic about the number of crashes between '01 and '09 is high? It sounds like it is, but don't know how it compares to other small planes? I certainly hope they find out the cause of the crash.
I was listening on air scanner at time of incident and heard an airline pilot call to PDX informing them of a sirrus maday on 121.5 The pilot was reporting dead stick. Sounds like a system failure or no fuel
scary
Joel - The chute was deployed by impact forces, not the pilot. To deploy the chute, the pilot needs to pull a handle on the cockpit ceiling. To get to the handle, the pilot needs to remove a plastic cover that's held in place by velcro. The photo shows that the plastic cover is still velcro'd to the trim place. That means the pilot couldn't have pulled the handle.
Concerning comment below by Mike Danko on Mar 21, at 1:38 A.M.:
Thanks for your comment and for clarifying the chute deployment. So I guess the $64 question, which probably no one can answer, is why didn't he pull the chute? Are there conditions under which you would not deploy? If he was dead stick over fairly flat terrain, it would appear the odds would have favored a chute assisted descent. Of course, after the fact, it's easier to think clearly and work out the permutations. It has to take a lot of trust to pull that handle. Once released, is it possible to jettison the chute?
I'm always saddened to hear about these fatalities. I looked at the specs, and the SR22 seems like such a forgiving aircraft. I hope the passenger pulls through.
Superb reporting on this mishap..once again.
Cheers...
Joel - The chute was deployed by impact forces, not the pilot. To deploy the chute, the pilot needs to pull a handle on the cockpit ceiling. To get to the handle, the pilot needs to remove a plastic cover that's held in place by velcro. The photo shows that the plastic cover is still velcro'd to the trim place. That means the pilot couldn't have pulled the handle.
Joel: There's no consensus among Cirrus pilots as to whether the chute should be deployed after engine failure. Some pilots would say that you're better off trying to glide to an off-airport landing. Some would say that you should deploy the chute unless there is a long, paved runway directly beneath you. I'm in the latter camp.
Regardless, once faced with the emergency, it's too late to think about it. You have to have already analyzed all the possible scenarios and be spring loaded to react. ("No runway beneath me, PULL!") Otherwise, you may not even remember you have a parachute.
By the way, once pulled, the chute cannot be released.
@Joel Siegfried: Why not pull? Of course, we don't know. But the Cirrus community suspects that task focus on emergency landings takes over. Private pilots have to demonstrate that to get a license, so that's what's practiced; not abandoning recovery and pulling the red handle. Bad news. By my reckoning, over half of the Cirrus fatal accidents matched scenarios with successful chute pulls. In the simulators, pilots are often shocked to discover how they completely ignored the parachute option.
Conditions not to pull? Too low and/or too fast have been deadly when parachute activated. But it saved people in a 3-turn spin, when inverted, once at 190 knots ground speed, over trees, shrubs, orchards, mountains, water, power lines, frozen fields.
Jettison the chute? Nope. And a good thing. Better to commit to this last option than making more bad decisions.
The Cirrus parachute system has saved 36 lives. Wish this pilot had been another one.
Very sad, my heart goes out to the families of the deceased and my prayers go out to the business associate. I hope that we see less airplane fatatlities in the future.
Thanks for this informative report. I remember this Yankee's crash in NYC and it was such a startling event.
A lot of weird small plane crashes lately.
I bet the plane ran out of gas. Pilot error.
Joel: There's no consensus among Cirrus pilots as to whether the chute should be deployed after engine failure. Some pilots would say that you're better off trying to glide to an off-airport landing. Some would say that you should deploy the chute unless there is a long, paved runway directly beneath you. I'm in the latter camp.
Regardless, once faced with the emergency, it's too late to think about it. You have to have already analyzed all the possible scenarios and be spring loaded to react. ("No runway beneath me, PULL!") Otherwise, you may not even remember you have a parachute.
By the way, once pulled, the chute cannot be released.
At the crash site:
The engine was almost cold.
The fuel lines between the cowling and engine were leaking and had to be wrapped.
Angle of impact was very steep.
Chute looked like it deployed after the plane impacted the ground as it was laid out straight and showed no signs of opening. The hatch that covers the chute system was also laying with the airplane.
Prop damage showed it was not rotating.
My prayers with the wife and children of the pilot.
Also praying the passenger makes a full recovery.
On another note:
This was far from a populated area. Had the airplane went down 1/2 mile north or south of the crash location it would have been in thick timber and very steep mountains. The next paved road north of the crash site is 15+ miles away in another county. Lookup 46deg. 34'00.23 N x 122deg. 18'42.93 W on Google Earth to see the location of the crash. From the direction of the impact, it looks like he was going for the hay field but ran short a quarter mile.
At the crash site:
The engine was almost cold.
The fuel lines between the cowling and engine were leaking and had to be wrapped.
Angle of impact was very steep.
Chute looked like it deployed after the plane impacted the ground as it was laid out straight and showed no signs of opening. The hatch that covers the chute system was also laying with the airplane.
Prop damage showed it was not rotating.
My prayers with the wife and children of the pilot.
Also praying the passenger makes a full recovery.
On another note:
This was far from a populated area. Had the airplane went down 1/2 mile north or south of the crash location it would have been in thick timber and very steep mountains. The next paved road north of the crash site is 15+ miles away in another county. Lookup 46deg. 34'00.23 N x 122deg. 18'42.93 W on Google Earth to see the location of the crash. From the direction of the impact, it looks like he was going for the hay field but ran short a quarter mile.
At the crash site:
The engine was almost cold.
The fuel lines between the cowling and engine were leaking and had to be wrapped.
Angle of impact was very steep.
Chute looked like it deployed after the plane impacted the ground as it was laid out straight and showed no signs of opening. The hatch that covers the chute system was also laying with the airplane.
Prop damage showed it was not rotating.
My prayers with the wife and children of the pilot.
Also praying the passenger makes a full recovery.
On another note:
This was far from a populated area. Had the airplane went down 1/2 mile north or south of the crash location it would have been in thick timber and very steep mountains. The next paved road north of the crash site is 15+ miles away in another county. Lookup 46deg. 34'00.23 N x 122deg. 18'42.93 W on Google Earth to see the location of the crash. From the direction of the impact, it looks like he was going for the hay field but ran short a quarter mile.
The most popular single engine aircraft currently manufactured and it is quite unique. Sounds like pilot error but we won't know for sure for quite a while. Duluth, Minnesota is the home of Cirrus, where they are working on 7 passenger private jet that will be its next product. Great, full coverage Mr. Siegfried.
At the crash site:
The engine was almost cold.
The fuel lines between the cowling and engine were leaking and had to be wrapped.
Angle of impact was very steep.
Chute looked like it deployed after the plane impacted the ground as it was laid out straight and showed no signs of opening. The hatch that covers the chute system was also laying with the airplane.
Prop damage showed it was not rotating.
My prayers with the wife and children of the pilot.
Also praying the passenger makes a full recovery.
On another note:
This was far from a populated area. Had the airplane went down 1/2 mile north or south of the crash location it would have been in thick timber and very steep mountains. The next paved road north of the crash site is 15+ miles away in another county. Lookup 46deg. 34'00.23 N x 122deg. 18'42.93 W on Google Earth to see the location of the crash. From the direction of the impact, it looks like he was going for the hay field but ran short a quarter mile.
Interesting that this is the same plane flown by Cory Lidle.
I worked with the pilot for 9 years and have heard that the passenger is in serious condition with 90% of her body in a cast. 17 broken bones and broken teeth. No spinal or brain injuries thankfully. Shane was a very conservative pilot but I heard it was always his last resort to pull the chute. Does pulling the chute destroy the integrity of the plane? Can it be replaced/repaired?
Concerning a comment by Anne on March 22 at 6:01 PM, thank you, Anne for the additional information.
One of my readers Rick Beach has indicated that the Cirrus parachute system has saved 46 lives, and a video aired on the Discovery Science Channel, which I have just added to this report, showing how the Cirrus CAPS parachute system operates, claims that even more lives have been saved by its use.
To answer your question, think of the parachute as an airbag in an automobile. Once the parachute is deployed, it has to be replaced with a new unit, in the same way that a deployed airbag must be replaced. I think that the video will explain this more clearly. It also gives information about the explosive charges used to deploy the parachute.
Thank you for providing first hand information on Mr. Sullivan and Ms. Carroll. I also hope that she makes a full recovery from her severe injuries, and have deep sympathies for the family and friends of both persons.
@Anne: Pulling the chute does not destroy the integrity of the plane, but what it hits when it lands might. At least four Cirrus aircraft have been repaired and flew again after the parachute deployed. Others were badly damaged when they hit trees, power lines, etc. However, most of the people in those planes were uninjured, while a few had a couple of broken bones and a few had compression fractures of the spine.
@Anne concerning the decision to deploy the parachute in a Cirrus: you state that Shane's last resort was to pull the chute. Regrettably, we know that didn't happen in this accident (another photo shows the ceiling cover still in place over the activation handle). While using the airframe parachute is a last resort, not using it had led to way too many fatalities and serious injuries. In the Cirrus owners and pilots community, we work hard to explain how Cirrus pilots must reconsider their options when you have a life-saving device like this parachute. If you wait too long, then you get too low for it to work. Pilots are required to demonstrate they can make an emergency landing like we think Shane was attempting; they are not required to demonstrate good judgment on when to pull the red handle and deploy the parachute. The odds are not so good for off-airport landings; they are much better for a survivable parachute landing.
Concerning comments by Rick Beach left on March 23 at 3:39 AM, thank you for the solid advice, and great information.
I have just published a follow up report on the parachute system known as CAPS, which has indeed saved at least 37 lives in 20 separate incidents. There are also two videos including one from the Aero News Network showing how the aircraft insurance companies encourage parachute deployments in emergency situations.
To read the full article, just click on the "Next" button at the top of this page.
Definately did NOT run out of fuel.
Definately did NOT run out of fuel.
Thanks for this thought-provoking article.
Why don't people recognize that not pulling the chut may have saved many more lives. the pilot does not have control of where the plane lands, ie, on a house, busy road, the playing field where tons of kids were? This pilot is a hero, the passenger is NOT covered in a cast over 90% of her body, she has broken legs and a chipped front tooth. She considers Shane a HERO, google her name, Rebecca Carroll and find out the facts! Plenty of fuel!
these small planes are very scary.
Any updates or final report?
The NTSB has issued a Preliminary Report, WPR10FA163, but as of 08 OCT 2010, has not issued any findings as yet. Final reports usually take 12-18 months. Here is an excerpt from the preliminary report:
"According to a preliminary briefing from Federal Aviation Administration personnel, the pilot of
N999VK reported hearing a mayday call from N224GS , and that the Cirrus was "…three miles west of
Strom Airport, was dead sticked, and did not think he would make the airport."
The Safety Board investigator interviewed the passenger on Wednesday, March 24. The passenger
indicated that she and the pilot were returning from a business trip. After fueling the airplane,
they departed and began the flight home. The passenger stated that while the airplane was in cruise
flight, the pilot suddenly placed his hands on the controls, told her that the engine had lost
power, and they were going to land at a nearby airport. He entered a steep right turn toward the
airport. The passenger could not recall hearing anything unusual at the time of the event. The
pilot remained calm throughout the approach to the airport and reassured the passenger during the
descent that they would land safely. The pilot declared a mayday and spoke on the radio. The
passenger sent a text message to a friend at 1909 indicating that they were not going to make it to
the airport. She did not recall anything after this point. The passenger indicated that the pilot
had discussed the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) with her prior to the trip and showed her
how to activate it in the event of an emergency. The passenger reported that the pilot did not
attempt to activate the CAPS during the flight.
The airplane came to rest in a rural residential area, on soft terrain used for gardening. The
first identified point of impact was an area of approximately 50-foot tall trees. A 4-inch diameter
section of a tree was broken, and a piece of fiberglass material remained suspended at the top
portion of one tree. The outboard section of the right wing containing the navigation light was
identified on the ground in this area, and it was located about 130 feet from the main wreckage.
From the outboard right wing section moving east, the next identified point of impact was fencing
that surrounded a garden. Multiple fence posts and rails were dislodged and found at the main
wreckage site. The wings and forward fuselage area sustained significant impact damage. All control
surfaces remained attached. A crater approximately 2 feet deep was directly in front of the engine.
The wreckage came to rest on a heading of about 300 degrees magnetic. There was no fire.
Approximately 7 gallons of fuel were drained from the left wing fuel tank. The right fuel tank was
breached.
The wreckage was recovered for further examination.
i don't understand... He was using caps but he was died why? Is it really save a life? or saved life's is a chances of people...
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!