Thanks, Cobalt 
I admire the CAPS concept, and ideally would remove the quotation marks from the thread. However 55 CAPS deployments out of an in service fleet of 2,000 (2.75%), does seem somewhat high. It should have been higher as some pilots foolishly have not deployed the parachute following a loss of control event.
I wonder whether CAPS has resulted in a risk compensation effect for some Cirrus pilots, taking them into scenarios where the absence of CAPS might have kept them on the ground? Not the case here where the deployment was the result of engine problems.
The SR2x fleet is more than 6000 …
Flyer59, thanks you are right, didn’t read the article below carefully enough.
Steve6443 wrote:
Nobody has been killed after a successful CAPS deployment
Ha. Nobody has been killed after a successful parachute jump either. What about the unsuccessful ones?
There have been 55 CAPS releases and all that have been inside the paramters of altitude and speed resulted in no or light injuries. Although the original speed limit was 135 KIAS several deployements at much higher speeds were successful, up to 200 knots.
1 deployment at an altitude above 500 ft AGL failed, due to a maintenance error.
The lowest successful deployment was at 400 ft AGL
I really can’t understand all the pontificating over the deployment of BRS. IT’s a fantastic device that can only be deployed by the occupants of the aircraft. Usually that will be the PIC but if not then any other occupant that pulls that handle has absolutely made the right choice. If PIC pulls the handle then that is absolutely the right choice for him or her. I have been in three situations where I would have pulled the chute if I had one, yet all of them had a successful outcome. Does that mean I would have been wrong to pull the handle had I the option? I don’t think so.
Pathetically, most of the “airplanes” I’ve flown have more in common with the BRS chute than with the flying machines from which one might be deployed, but I’m +1 with Flyer. If you had a chute and didn’t use it, you might feel a bit of a fool at the pearly gates.
Whatever, I’m inclined to refrain from second-guessing the actions of a pilot preparing for or responding to any perceived emergency.
Whatever, I’m inclined to refrain from second-guessing the actions of a pilot preparing for or responding to any perceived emergency.
Yes, it just doesn’t make much sense, especially since we don’t have the details. If I think that the pilot who choses to uses the chute is an average private pilot, like me, then I will not judge his actions. I am sure that he was sure to do the right thing. And the result says: yes, he did. If you and your passengers get away with some scratches then you did the right thing.
I am just researching the US Airways 1549 flight in depth, together with some people who flew that scenario in an Airbus Full Flight Sim, set up to reproduce the situation as precise as possible. I was told that the pilots who tried, reached La Guardia Airports rwy 22 8 out of 15 times, but they were prepared for the scenario and they had the advantage that they could react immediately after the bird strike and double engine failure.
Now when the simulation was changed the way that they could not react until 30 seconds after the engine failure, most attempts ended with crashes. Now there’s still people who say that the Hudson landing was “completely unneccessary” and that he could have “easily made it back”. Arrogant Monday Morning Quarterbacks"… ! One flight attendant hat a cut or bruise!
I am just researching the US Airways 1549 flight in depth, together with some people who flew that scenario in an Airbus Full Flight Sim, set up to reproduce the situation as precise as possible. I was told that the pilots who tried, reached La Guardia Airports rwy 22 8 out of 15 times, but they were prepared for the scenario and they had the advantage that they could react immediately after the bird strike and double engine failure.
What happened with the 7 out of 15 who failed to reach La Guardia runway 22, that would most interest me. If they crashed and burned in New York with the mayhem and death that would have brought with it, then it just underscores my belief that Sully performed admirably…..
