Cirrus Airframe Parachute System

Last updated

Photo series showing a Cirrus SR20 deploying the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) during inflight testing in 1998 Caps deploy.jpg
Photo series showing a Cirrus SR20 deploying the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) during inflight testing in 1998

The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) is a whole-plane ballistic parachute recovery system designed specifically for Cirrus Aircraft's line of general aviation light aircraft including the SR20, SR22 and SF50. The design became the first of its kind to become certified with the FAA, achieving certification in October 1998, and as of 2022 was the only aircraft ballistic parachute used as standard equipment by an aviation company. [N 1] [2] [3]

Contents

Developed as a collaboration between Cirrus and Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS), [3] it was adapted from the GARD (General Aviation Recovery Device) initially released for the Cessna 150. [4] As in other BRS systems, a small solid-fuel rocket housed in the aft fuselage is used to pull the parachute out from its housing and deploy the canopy full within seconds. The goal of employing this system is the survival of the crew and passengers and not necessarily the prevention of damage to the airframe.

History

Design and development

Since the landing gear and firewall are a part of the structure designed to be crushed for energy absorption during impact after parachute deployment, Cirrus originally thought that the airframe would be damaged beyond repair on ground-impact, but the first aircraft to deploy (N1223S) [5] landed in mesquite and was not badly damaged. Cirrus bought the airframe back, repaired it, and used it as a demo plane. [6]

Dating back to the first conception of the Cirrus SR20 in the early 1990s, the aircraft was intended to come equipped with CAPS. [7] Because of this, Cirrus designed a special kind of "spin resistant" wing (or leading edge cuff) for the SR20, a concept originally developed at NASA Langley, which makes it more difficult for the plane to enter a spin. [8] However, increasing the difficulty of entering a spin inherently makes it more difficult to recover from one if a spin does occur. [7] [9] The FAA accepted the parachute as a sufficient mode of spin recovery and complete spin testing was not required. Although, in 2004, Cirrus completed a limited series of spin recovery tests to meet European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) requirements, and no unusual characteristics were found. [10] [11]

Vision Jet

The first jet with a ballistic parachute, the Cirrus Vision SF50 single-engine jet was certified in October 2016 with CAPS (where it deploys from the nose of the aircraft instead of the aft cabin). [12] Despite the FAA not requiring Cirrus to test the device since it was not necessary for certification, Business Insider released video in May 2017 showing CAPS being tested inflight with a piloted SF50 prototype. [13]

In 2018, Cirrus won the Collier Trophy for the Vision Jet, due in part to the aircraft's inclusion of CAPS. The award is presented annually for "the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles". [14]

Background

Cirrus founders brothers Alan and Dale Klapmeier set out to implement CAPS on all their future Cirrus models after Alan survived a mid-air collision in 1985, where his plane lost more than three feet of wing including half the aileron; the pilot in the other aircraft spiraled into the ground and was killed. [7] [8] [15] [16] These efforts contributed to the Klapmeier brothers' 2014 induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame. [17]

The Cirrus engineering & design team, led by chief engineer Paul Johnston, started developing CAPS on the SR20 in Duluth, Minnesota, during the mid-1990s. It was first tested in 1998 over the high desert of southern California by Air National Guard F-16 pilot and Cirrus chief test pilot, Scott D. Anderson. [18] [19] At the time of testing, Cirrus only had two SR20 prototypes, so in order to test the parachute repeatedly, Anderson would restart the engine mid-air while descending under the parachute, cut the chute loose and land the plane for it to be tested again (ground-impact testing took place with a mockup that would be dropped at the calculated descent-velocity and measured based on sustained damage to the landing gear, fuselage and crash-test dummies). [8] [18] Anderson completed all eight of the in-flight test deployments of CAPS for development and certification of the SR20. [19] [20] [21]

Operational history

The first emergency deployment occurred in 2002 over Lewisville, Texas; one pilot of a Cirrus SR22 was uninjured. [22] [23] The first emergency deployment in a Vision Jet occurred in 2022 near Kissimmee, Florida; two occupants were uninjured while a third had "non life-threatening injuries". [24] [25] [26]

As of 21 September 2021, CAPS had been activated 126 times, 107 of which saw successful parachute deployment. In those successful deployments, there were 220 survivors and one death. No deaths had occurred when the parachute was deployed within the certified speed and altitude parameters, and two anomalous unsuccessful deployments had occurred within those parameters. Some other accidental deployments were reported, as caused by ground impact or post-impact fires. [27] As of 24 October 2019, 21 of the aircraft that had deployed CAPS had been repaired and put back into service. [28]

Since 2011, which saw 16 deadly crashes of SR-series aircraft, the series has seen more CAPS deployments and steadily fewer deadly accidents, giving them one of the best safety records in the industry. This was attributed to a new approach to training, particularly in when and how to deploy the parachute system. [29] [30] [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airframe</span> Mechanical structure of an aircraft

The mechanical structure of an aircraft is known as the airframe. This structure is typically considered to include the fuselage, undercarriage, empennage and wings, and excludes the propulsion system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert F. Overmyer</span> American astronaut (1936–1996)

Robert Franklyn "Bob" Overmyer was an American test pilot, naval aviator, aeronautical engineer, physicist, United States Marine Corps officer, and USAF/NASA astronaut. Overmyer was selected by the Air Force as an astronaut for its Manned Orbiting Laboratory in 1966. Upon cancellation of the program in 1969, he became a NASA astronaut and served support crew duties for the Apollo program, Skylab program, and Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. In 1976, he was assigned to the Space Shuttle program and flew as pilot on STS-5 in 1982 and as commander on STS-51-B in 1985. He was selected as a lead investigator into the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, retiring from NASA that same year. A decade later, Overmyer died while testing the Cirrus VK-30 homebuilt aircraft.

The Cirrus Design Corporation, doing business as Cirrus Aircraft, is an aircraft manufacturer that was founded in 1984 by Alan and Dale Klapmeier to produce the VK-30 kit aircraft, and is headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. The company is owned by a subsidiary of the Chinese government-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), with operational locations in seven states across the US including Minnesota, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, Florida and Michigan, as well as additional sales locations in France and the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cirrus SR20</span> Single-engine general aviation aircraft

The Cirrus SR20 is an American piston-engined, four- or five-seat composite monoplane built since 1999 by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota. The aircraft is the company's earliest type-certified model, earning certification in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Very light jet</span> Class of small jet aircraft under 10,000 lb.

A very light jet (VLJ), entry-level jet or personal jet, previously known as a microjet, is a category of small business jets that seat four to eight people. VLJs are considered the lightest business jets and are approved for single-pilot operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballistic Recovery Systems</span> American ballistic parachute manufacturer

Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc., doing business as BRS Aerospace, is a manufacturer of aircraft ballistic parachutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballistic parachute</span>

A ballistic parachute, ballistic reserve parachute, or emergency ballistic reserve parachute, is a parachute ejected from its casing by a small explosion, much like that used in an ejection seat. The advantage of the ballistic parachute over a conventional parachute is that it ejects the parachute canopy, causing it to open rapidly, thus making it ideal for attaching to light aircraft, hang gliders and microlights, where an emergency may occur in close proximity to the ground. In such a situation, a conventional parachute would not open quickly enough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cirrus VK-30</span> Single-engine pusher-propeller homebuilt aircraft

The Cirrus VK-30 is a single-engine pusher-propeller homebuilt aircraft originally sold as a kit by Cirrus Design, and was the company's first model, introduced in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cirrus SR22</span> Single engine general aviation aircraft

The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine four- or five-seat composite aircraft built since 2001 by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cessna 162 Skycatcher</span> American side-by-side two-seat light sport airplane

The Cessna 162 Skycatcher is an American side-by-side two-seat, high-wing, strut-braced, tricycle gear light-sport aircraft (LSA) that was designed and produced by Cessna between December 2009 and December 2013. Its intended market was flight training and personal use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond DA40 Diamond Star</span> Family of light aircraft

The Diamond DA40 Diamond Star is an Austrian four-seat, single-engine, light aircraft constructed from composite materials. Built in both Austria and Canada, it was developed as a four-seat version of the earlier DA20 by Diamond Aircraft Industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 New York City Cirrus SR20 crash</span> Aircraft crash into a building

On October 11, 2006, a Cirrus SR20 aircraft crashed into the Belaire Apartments in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City, at about 2:42 p.m. EDT. The aircraft struck the north side of the building, causing a fire in several apartments, that was extinguished within two hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cirrus Vision SF50</span> Very light business jet

The Cirrus Vision SF50, also known as the Vision Jet, is a single-engine very light jet designed and produced by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ICON A5</span> Amphibious light-sport aircraft developed by ICON Aircraft

The ICON A5 is an American amphibious light-sport aircraft (LSA) designed and produced by ICON Aircraft. A concept aircraft was first flown in 2008, and creation of the production tooling began in December 2012. The first production aircraft made its first flight on July 7, 2014, and made its public debut at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh on July 27, 2014. A year later at AirVenture, it was temporarily donated to the youth group Young Eagles, with the first official A5 customer deliveries occurring in 2016. As of 2019, 100 A5s had been delivered. The aircraft is known for having brought significant excitement and publicity to the LSA industry since its unveiling in 2008, although company legal and financial issues have slowed production since 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B&F Fk14 Polaris</span> German ultralight aircraft

The B&F Fk14 Polaris, also called the FK-Lightplanes FK14, is a single-engine, low-wing ultralight aircraft that seats two side by side. Designed in Germany in the late 1990s, it remains in production as of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klapmeier brothers</span> American entrepreneurs, founders of Cirrus Aircraft Corporation

The Klapmeier brothers, Alan Lee Klapmeier and Dale Edward Klapmeier, are retired American aircraft designers and aviation entrepreneurs who together founded the Cirrus Design Corporation in 1984. Under the leadership of the Klapmeiers, Cirrus was the first aircraft manufacturer to install a whole-plane parachute recovery system as a standard on all its models—designed to lower the airplane safely to the ground in case of an emergency. The device is attributed with saving over 200 lives to date. From the brothers' use of all-composite airframe construction and glass panel cockpits on production aircraft, Cirrus is known for having revolutionized general aviation for modern light aircraft pilots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott D. Anderson</span> American aviator (1965–1999)

Major Scott Douglas Anderson was an American aviator, engineer, outdoor adventurer, and award-winning author. He flew F-16s and instructed pilots for the Air National Guard, and was a general aviation test pilot and flight operations officer. In 1998, he completed the flight-testing of the first certified whole-plane parachute recovery system, the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), which is credited with saving over 200 lives as standard equipment on Duluth, Minnesota-based Cirrus Aircraft's line of single-engine light aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MVP Model 3</span> Type of aircraft

The MVP Model 3 was a prototype American "triphibian" light-sport aircraft, displayed in mockup form in 2014. The aircraft was under development by MVP.AERO Inc.. Its developer has since ceased operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Colorado mid-air collision</span> 2021 mid-air collision in Colorado, United States

On 12 May 2021, Key Lime Air Flight 970, a Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner operating a chartered cargo flight from Salida to Centennial, Colorado collided in mid-air with a private Cirrus SR22. Despite having sustained severe damage, the Swearingen Metroliner managed to land safely while the Cirrus SR22 deployed its CAPS system and safely parachuted to the ground. All three occupants on board both aircraft survived uninjured.

References

  1. ↑ "Flying Icon's A5 LSA seaplane". General Aviation News. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Getting Cirrus about Aircraft Parachutes". Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Whole Aircraft Rescue Parachute Systems" . Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  4. ↑ "BRS to offer parachute system for Cessna 150". Archived from the original on November 3, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  5. ↑ National Transportation Safety Board (October 2002). "NTSB Accident Identification: FTW03LA005". Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
  6. ↑ National Transportation Safety Board (September 2004). "NTSB Accident Identification: CHI04FA255". Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2008.
  7. 1 2 3 "An Introduction From Dale Klapmeier, Cirrus Co-Founder". Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 Mcclellan, J. Mac (February 1999). "Cirrus SR20". Flying Magazine. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Interview with a Cirrus Design Engineer". Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  10. ↑ WhyCirrus.com. "CAPS and Stall/Spin". Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  11. ↑ Cirrus Stall Spin Report (March 2004). "Cirrus Design SR 20" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Cirrus Earns Vision Jet Certification". AOPA. October 31, 2016. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  13. ↑ Justin Gmoser and Benjamin Zhang (May 26, 2017). "At under $2 million this is the cheapest private jet in the world". Business Insider. Archived from the original on May 31, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Cirrus Aircraft Vision Jet to be awarded the 2017 Robert J. Collier Trophy" (PDF) (Press release). NAA. April 4, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  15. ↑ Karlgaard, Rich (October 2006). "What Caused Cory Lidle's Crash?". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  16. ↑ "General Aviation Heroes Part IV - Dale and Alan Klapmeier of Cirrus Design". Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  17. ↑ Fallows, James (January 2015). "The Parachute That Saved a Plane". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  18. 1 2 Fallows, James (June 2001). "Freedom of the Skies". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  19. 1 2 Fallows, James (November 21, 1999). "Turn Left at Cloud 109". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Scott D. Anderson Inducted Into Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame". Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation. April 2010. Archived from the original on July 12, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  21. ↑ Higdon, Dave (March 31, 1999). "Cirrus SR20 demonstrator kills test pilot in prison crash". Flighglobal. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  22. ↑ Goyer, Robert (August 2010). "After Ten Years, Cirrus Chute Controversy Persists". Flying. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  23. ↑ Duluth Budgeteer staff (October 2002). "Cirrus parachute deploys, saves pilot". Duluth Budgeteer. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  24. ↑ Boatman, Julie (September 10, 2022). "Cirrus Vision Jet Pilot Pulls Chute in Florida". Flying. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  25. ↑ Gordon, Gilbert (September 12, 2022). "Parachute Deployed in Crash of Cirrus Jet". AINonline. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  26. ↑ "First CAPS 'pull' for Cirrus Vision Jet saves three". Flyer. September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  27. ↑ "CAPS Event History". Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association. September 21, 2021. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  28. ↑ Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association (October 24, 2019). "Cirrus CAPS History". Archived from the original on October 24, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  29. ↑ Zimmerman, John (February 11, 2015). "Fatal Cirrus crashes are way down – thank the parachute". Air Facts. Archived from the original on June 13, 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  30. ↑ Hirschman, Dave (July 24, 2016). "How Cirrus Radically Reduced Fatal Accidents". AOPA. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  31. ↑ McLaughlin, Nancy (March 8, 2019). "'It's like hitting concrete': Greensboro men recount plane crash into Atlantic". greensboro.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2019.

Notes

  1. ↑ The ICON A5 includes a ballistic parachute as standard only for models registered in the United States. [1]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.