Two people escaped almost totally unscathed after their plane, a four-seater single-engine Cirrus SR22, fell out of the sky. A surveillance camera recorded the scene.
The incident, which occurred on 5 March, right next to an office building on Long Island, USA, was due to engine failure according to US media. The occupants of the aircraft, a father and daughter, received only minor injuries.
It was the deployment of the Cirrus’ Airframe Parachute System, at about 1,000 ft (500 metres), that prevented a tragedy.
More than a hundred lives have been saved thanks to the existence of this type of parachute on their ‘planes, estimated US manufacturer, Cirrus Aircraft, whose headquarters are located in Duluth, Minnesota.
This type of parachute for light aircraft was developed by BRS Aerospace. It is fitted as standard on all Cirrus SR20’s since it was certified in 1998, and can also be mounted on Cessna’s.
In January 2015, off the Hawaiian Islands, having run out of fuel, but again thanks to its onboard parachute system, a Cirrus SR22 had an even softer landing in the Pacific Ocean. The pilot who was safe and sound was rescued by boat.
