SR-22 down in Virginia

From posted news story it sounds like fuel starvation.. any other links yet?
 
From posted news story it sounds like fuel starvation.. any other links yet?

This was an engine failure. Apparently a cylinder piston rod or something along those lines broke (at least that is the initial speculation). It appears he was in gliding range of at least 1 airport but the situation deteriorated (oil splattered on the windscreen preventing him from seeing out forward) so he activated CAPS and parachuted to the ground.

Another great example of how CAPS saves lives...

Link with pictures: http://wtvr.com/2013/07/20/essex-plane-crash/
 
Last edited:
Yes, something went wrong, but it is nice read that all survived. That is a nice change of pace.
 
From posted news story it sounds like fuel starvation.. any other links yet?


This was an engine failure. Apparently a cylidner piston rod cracked and broke (at least that is the current speculation). The plane was within gliding distance of at least one airport, but the situation deteriorated (oil splattered all over the windscreen). Since forward visibility was lost the pilot decided to activate CAPS.

Glad all four men walked away uninjured. Another great example of how CAPS saves lives...
 
Sounds like a perfect CAPS deployment then! Glad all are alright.

BTW, i have nothing against CAPS, in fact its a pretty big consideration in my purchase plans. I was just silently hoping it wasn't a running out of gas scenario.
 
Sounds like a perfect CAPS deployment then! Glad all are alright.

BTW, i have nothing against CAPS, in fact its a pretty big consideration in my purchase plans. I was just silently hoping it wasn't a running out of gas scenario.


CAPS certainly helps with survivability. If you look at the statistics of Cirrus pilots who chose to make an off-airport landing versus those that activated CAPS (in cases of engine failure or fuel exhaustion), those that chose an off airport landing had a somewhat high fatality rate (I don't recall the exact number but I believe it is 10 - 15% fatal). Those that activated CAPS within design limits had a 100% survival rate.

A field that looks nice and flat from the sky isn't necessarily so...Unless I am 100% sure I can make it to an airport, I'm pulling the handle.
 
NTSB Preliminary is out: http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20130721X92450&key=1

On July 20, 2013, about 2010 eastern daylight time, a Cirrus SR22, N223SS, operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged after it deployed its Cirrus Airplane Parachute System (CAPS) and impacted trees and terrain near Tappahannock, Virginia. The private pilot and three passengers were not injured. The flight departed from Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport (SBY), Salisbury, Maryland, about 1930 and was destined to Hanover County Municipal Airport (OFP), Hanover, Virginia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

According to the pilot, the airplane was in cruise flight at 6,000 feet mean sea level when he heard a loud bang, followed by vibrations and an immediate loss of engine power. He declared an emergency with air traffic control and turned towards Tappahannock-Essex County Airport (XSA), Tappahannock, Virginia, to attempt an emergency landing. Four miles from XSA, he heard another loud bang and the windscreen became covered with oil. About 2 miles south of XSA, the pilot elected to deploy the CAPS and the airplane subsequently descended via parachute into trees and terrain.

An Avidyne primary flight display unit and a multifunction display memory card were recovered from the cockpit and forwarded to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory for data download.

Postaccident examination by a NTSB investigator revealed substantial damage to the left wing and right aileron. The wreckage was retained for further examination.
 
Old Thread: Hello . There have been no replies in this thread for 365 days.
Content in this thread may no longer be relevant.
Perhaps it would be better to start a new thread instead.
Back
Top