I stopped by the local FBO on the off chance it was there to gawk at, it was and I did. This is the one that went down last week, with all the damage pretty much after the occupants exited AND got their baggage out! Then...the chute re-inflated and caught everybody by surprise, is what I gathered anyway. A fair bit of second and third hand sort off eye witnesses, whatever, the pictures tell the story. I KNOW composite construction is the cat's meow, but damn I have a renewed appreciation for the 4130 cage I fly. On the other hand, the important part, the cockpit, came through pretty well The prop was stopped BTW.

yup, u r right on all that c.g....the cirrus design and chute deal does make a bit of sense, although i would say most times in the right hands, a pilot could still land it safely with or without power...im supposin too that the chute is a pretty good sales tool no question...glad all walked away, airplanes are like doritos, they'll make more!

Aw heck, a little airplane glue, and it'll be flying again!

Cary

Wow! Having conducted destructive and non destructive structural tests on composite airframes for nearly fifteen years, I can say that any airframe would have been torn to hell after being subjected to loads like that, which are in no way considered in design.

The funny thing about the airframe parachute is that it has an airspeed limitation for deployment (I believe 120 KIAS), but why would you ever deploy it if you had control of the aircraft?

Is there a thread or a link that discusses the details of this accident. Curious what reason the shoot was deployed.

Marc

Addicted2climbing wrote:Is there a thread or a link that discusses the details of this accident. Curious what reason the shoot was deployed.

Marc

According to the official NTSB report, the pilots wife deployed the chute when she realized that she left her make-up bag in the Jag.

From what I understand from the first responders: they overflew the Pocatello area in route to Sun Valley from Colorado, somewhere over the desert (very gnarly with lots of lava rock, not your woosey type desert ) between Poky and Sun Valley, it was somehow determined that they had an engine problem. No info as to how and why that came about. Then they turned around and headed back to Poky to land. At some point it was realized that the runway was not going to be attained, and the engine was shut down and the chute deployed. One thing for sure, the wind direction and velocity that day meant they may have gotten swept downwind more then thought, as they were upwind of the airport and then overflew it again, in other words where they popped the chute were downwind of KPIH after being upwind. Poky is 7 or 9 K long and 150' wide, I think, with clear farm fields all around it, but somehow they ended up downwind and popped the chute, relinquishing all control of course once that occurred. I'll hazard a guess and bet that the PIC had no sailplane or glider experience, but what the hell they didn't get hurt and the insurance will pay. Loss of revenue claims plus reconstruction from Idaho Power for taking that pole out will be significant, I found that out with the crane one time years ago

This plane belongs to my coworkers father. It's based out of KAPA just outside of Denver. The pilot and his girlfriend were headed to Idaho when they started losing power. They contacted Pocatello tower and declared an emergency a few miles out. Apparently the engine problems weren't working themselves out and he felt like the was a chance he wasn't going to make the airport. The chute on the plane had to be deployed above 1000' AGL (from what she said) to work so instead of risking coming up short he elected to pull the chute above 1000' over a field and not die trying to save the aircraft. He said the plane was in pretty good shape when they first hit the ground, just a broken gear leg and minimal damage. He said it was a hard hit but nothing you couldn't walk away from. After they were on the ground the chute reinflated and started to move the aircraft. They exited the aircraft and watched the wind drag the plane across the field and stop when it reached the power lines. He has been flying for a long time and owns an Aerobatic plane as well based here in CO. She said the plane had a very recent annual and he feels like something may not have been put together correctly after the annual. Time will tell. If you have more questions let me know and I'll be glad to try to find an answer for you.

MAU MAU wrote:

Addicted2climbing wrote:Is there a thread or a link that discusses the details of this accident. Curious what reason the shoot was deployed.

Marc

According to the official NTSB report, the pilots wife deployed the chute when she realized that she left her make-up bag in the Jag.

Well played