Sr 22

[TMetzinger]

According to Mike, in one case (Sarasota, I believe, the airplane came down in a cypress grove), there was no structural damage at all, no avionics damage, the owner had the dents and gashes repaired and is flying it.

I think there is lots of data on repairs to composite aircraft structures (if not the Cirrus in particular) due to the fact that airliners have had composite parts for years, as well as the experimental fleet. Now if the airplane was structurally compromised, that's a completely different story.

 

[TMetzinger]

I don't like the sound of that. Single-point failure? What do you do in the event of total electrical failure?

-- Pilawt

You fly the airplane by hand and put up with the higher-than-normal load forces. Same thing you'd do if your elevator trim got jammed or broken in a Cessna, Piper, Beech, or Mooney.

Keep in mind that a total electrical failure in a Cirrus should be a very rare event with dual batteries, dual alternators, and a split bus.