Friday, September 09, 2022

Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet, N77VJ: Accident occurred September 09, 2022 near Kissimmee Gateway Airport (KISM), Osceola County, Florida

National Transportation Safety Board - Accident Report Number: ERA22LA404 

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Orlando, Florida 

Aircraft parachute deployed after encountering severe turbulence and landed in Lake Tohopekaliga. 

TAC9 Inc


Date: 09-SEP-22
Time: 19:18:00Z
Regis#: N77VJ
Aircraft Make: CIRRUS
Aircraft Model: SF50
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: MINOR
Flight Crew:  1 Minor Injuries
Pax: 2 Minor Injuries
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: SUBSTANTIAL
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: APPROACH (APR)
Operation: 91
City: ORLANDO
State: FLORIDA









OSCEOLA COUNTY, Florida  — Three people are injured after a Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet went down in a marshy area of Osceola County Friday, according to Osceola County Fire Rescue.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating and the cleanup of about 100 gallons of fuel is underway as investigators try to figure out what went wrong.

A Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet crashed in Osceola right behind Josh Miller's house on Toho Drive. He caught it on his security camera.

"I saw the airplane coming in, and it crashed into the bank of my pond, and the parachute kept like, catapulting it into the woods,” Miller said.

He said the wind was blowing, and it was raining super hard around 3 p.m. when he saw the small plane go down.

"It flipped, so when it hit the bank, it flipped like end over end the first time,” Miller said.

Miller rushed to help the three passengers on board–two adults and one minor–but it wasn't easy.

It's a swampy area with three feet of water.

“We could see there had been a parachute that had been deployed. We could see some signs, but we had to make access to them,” said Andrew Sullivan with Osceola County Fire Rescue.

Rescue officials say the terrain is so rough where this plane crashed, that they had to actually use chainsaws to get the underbrush cut to get to the aircraft.

Miller says the parachute kept yanking the plane through the woods.

Osceola County Fire Rescue says the chute ended up on top of some live power lines.

“This guy was lucky,” he said.

Miller says the man suffered a gash on his head.

“There was two women with him. One of them was hurt pretty badly. She had hip injury or something like that,” Miller said. “And then the other girl, the younger girl, she seemed OK (but) was shaken. She was actually able to get out of the aircraft before it went into the swamp.”

All three were taken to local hospitals for further treatment.

According to FlightAware, the small plane took off from Opa-Locka in South Florida at 2:13 p.m. and was headed to Kissimmee Gateway Airport.

“He just told me he was headed into Kissimmee and they diverted him,” Miller said.

He said they're all lucky to be alive.

112 comments:

  1. Not parachuting into the lake was a good decision.

    https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=aa6892&lat=28.200&lon=-81.420&zoom=11.0&showTrace=2022-09-09&trackLabels

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    1. When you pull the chute handle in a VJ, the autopilot takes over activating an automated a sequence to insure the aircraft is within certain parameters. Timing where it’s uncontrolled landing would be something special. Regardless it sounds like the design did it’s job

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  2. It was not his decision as to where to land. Once you pop the chute, good luck on "picking" a preferred landing site. Wind and weather dictate where your landing site will be. Weather at the time was heavy thunderstorms in the area, wind 250 @23 shifting and gusting to 28Kts. Luckily all 3 survived.

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    1. Pulled chute at ~3,200' MSL instead of continuing further over the lake toward the runway before the pull. Setting up for the uncontrolled drift to take him where he went by taking advantage of the wind at the time was a planned and well executed move instead of zoning out and continuing across the lake.

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    2. Yes, I am sure that is exactly how he planned it... How do you know that he pulled the chute at 3200 MSL?

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    3. The aircraft's ADS-B transmitted data revealing slowdown, deploy and dangling drift was captured, as linked in the first comment. Here is a closer look at the deployment period:

      https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=aa6892&lat=28.197&lon=-81.383&zoom=17.9&showTrace=2022-09-09&trackLabels

      This pilot's superior skill in setting up to dangle drift where he wanted to go is further proof that training at Cirrus is producing an ADM shift toward pre-planning for safer outcomes. Seeing this trend enrages their critics.

      It's time to get the politicians who mandated low flow toilets to make ballistic chutes mandatory, with a 2-year grandfathering after which older GA aircraft that don't get retrofitted are retired from service.

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    4. They mandated airbags in cars, why not chutes in planes?

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    5. ^ Spoken by a person who drives automobiles more than flies aircraft.

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    6. This will be revealed as a fuel starvation incident. PILOT ERROR.

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    7. ADS-B data shows aggressive altitude changes and airspeed irregularities which suggests he was pummeled by thunderstorms. We should mandate parachutes so we can all fly into thunderstorms.

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    8. Fuel might not be it: "spilled hundreds of gallons of fuel"

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    9. Use of "superior skill" would have been to not to attempt a landing in a thunderstorm.

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    10. The poster did not mean he ran out of fuel he's talking about the engine being starved of fuel maybe a pump issue I'm wondering if he had the Autoland feature does anyone know when you activate Autoland will it thread thunderstorms to the nearest airport

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    11. Doesn't look like fuel starvation at all — he was climbing hard prior to final descent — likely loss of control (and subsequent spin) and/or spatial disorientation in a thunderstorm

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    12. 100 gallon fuel spill doesn’t sound like fuel starvation.

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    13. An examination of the radar track for this aircraft shows a pilot who was absolutely determined to get to KISM. He had been vectored around numerous cells prior to a turn to the destination airport. The NEXRAD returns observable in the radar track show a bit west of the airport, but that imagery is not real-time. The heavy rain reported by the witness on the ground confirms that the pilot flew into a strong storm cell and got utterly pounded. REPEAT LESSONS: Stay away from thunderstorms; Avoid get-there-itis; Divert BEFORE you have the problem.

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  3. Why not mandate two engines instead?

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    1. No limits anymore, mandates that defy reality are ok.

      Few understand how the TV show "Sky King" implanted a default perception that two engines are better. Multitudes of VMC roll and Skymaster crashes haven't been sufficient to undo the mythical belief. Only the TV shows Dragnet and The FBI have enjoyed similar indoctrinaire success.

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    2. Then they would have to rename it “Double Vision” 😁

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  4. “Superior skill of setting up dangle drift”
    “They should retire older planes without a chute”
    Lots of crack being smoked in here I see

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    1. The "air taxi" fantasy is unsaleable without chutes. Promoters will make "Non-essential GA aircraft not equipped with chutes" one of their impediments to eliminate, portrayed as being outdated and dangerous, same as was done for three wheel ATV's and lawn darts.

      The warehouse mercantile oligarchs are sitting back watching it all play out, aware that although the "air taxi" idea will fizzle out, their package delivery drones need GA to be curtailed to ensure that collision risks are manageable. Same goals as the push to end leaded fuel.

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    2. I haven't heard about cracking a long time is that still around where can I get some

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    3. There are pilots that know how to land planes. BS that every plane should have a chute. Just get rid of the trust fund baby pilots that fly in thunderstorms

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    4. ...subsidized by astronomic insurance rates for responsible NON-TRUSTFUND pilots.

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    5. I agree! It's always the little guy that gets screwed. If you fly in a thunderstorm because you think it is your privilege then you should have to dig into your pocket and pay instead of spreading the cost to the non trust fund pilots

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  5. The good old days of steam gauges and flying by the seat of our pants are over. Thought I'd never live to see it.

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    1. I would never have nostalgia for steam gauges in instrument conditions — there are so many failure modes and they are so hazardous (many people lost their lives) that you'd be crazy to ever go back to that. VFR — sure but for VFR you'd be fine in most situation with just a simple AOA sensor.

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    2. I think what he is saying is that too much reliance on the wealth of information that modern EFIS flight instrumentation gives a pilot, is no substitute to the experience learned by looking at those huge thunderstorms, seeing that lightning, feeling that turbulence, and recognizing there is no reason to push it further. There are no excuses for poor decision making in Aviation, only bad results. Perhaps the belief that there is always a safe ‘out’, could create more risk taking in future pilots. Let’s hope not. My last plane was a 787, my first plane after retirement is a Stearman biplane. They both do their respective jobs wonderfully, but my new one is more fun!!!

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    3. Here's hoping you enjoy many safe years cherishing and safekeeping the Stearman. May they grace the sky for years to come!

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    4. The person that made the comment about 'trustfund babies flying into t-storms' is right on. I hate reading comments about aviation incidents because the comments from non-flyers and stick-up-their-ass yuppy flyers are hard to listen to. This guy learnrd why even C-130 crews divert around thunder bumperd by 20NM if possible.

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  6. The dangle drift person is an obvious TROLL. As I said earlier

    " It was not his decision as to where to land. Once you pop the chute, good luck on "picking" a preferred landing site. Wind and weather dictate where your landing site will be. Weather at the time was heavy thunderstorms in the area, wind 250 @23 shifting and gusting to 28Kts. Luckily all 3 survived."

    You don't have "superior skills" after you pull the chute on where and how you're going to land with a weather forecast like this:

    18:56 UTC / 14:56 local time:
    KISM 091856Z 23017G20KT 6SM VCTS +RA BKN036 OVC048 27/23 A2985 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT N AND SW TSB54RAB51 PRESRR SLP106 T02670233 PNO $
    19:03 UTC / 15:03 local time: (Close to the accident time)
    KISM 091903Z 25023G28KT 1 3/4SM +TSRA BR SCT036 OVC048 26/23 A2984 RMK AO2 PK WND 25028/1903 WSHFT 1847 VIS 1V5 LTG DSNT N AND SW PNO $

    19:18 UTC / 15:18 local time:
    KISM 091918Z 21008KT 3SM +TSRA BR FEW034 BKN048 OVC065 23/23 A2984 RMK AO2 PK WND 24028/1904 WSHFT 1847 LTG DSNT N AND SE PNO $

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    1. ADS-B showing that the pilot decided not to venture out into the middle of the lake by continuing on glide slope from his greater than 3000' MSL altitude isn't disputable. In spite of the frequent poor piloting that gets some Cirrus pilots in trouble, this one's decision should not enrage the critics.

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    2. Good grief! Could it be “Relax! We have a ‘chute… let’s go for it!” ?

      Wholly crap, who flies thru that sh!t ???

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    3. The we have a chute bias will certainly be a factor in at least a few of the many accidents where cockpit weather displays were relied upon to get foolishly close to weather or thread though buildups.

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    4. Why sure you can have the ultimate skill set after factoring in that weather report while you're having a major malfunction , talk about a workload in the cockpit. Unbelievable what some people think

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    5. Thanks for the production year that answers my question about the aircraft having the Autoland feature they did not offer it until 2020 and before anyone chimes in saying what would that have a difference and what would it have made I don't think it would have made any I was just wondering if the feature was used wooded thread the aircraft through bad weather to the nearest airport

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    6. Glass cockpit, plenty of altitude, side-eye-ing the shoreline and mentally working out the drift before the pull, all while remembering legendary Uncle Ted. Uncle Ted hadn't let cockpit workload make him bail out of the F4 over Nam without first snagging the beers and other essentials. Jet pilots naturally develop that level of skill set and superior multitasking ability, but modesty restrains them from letting on about it.

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    7. Even a Cirrus Pilot needs to know how to land a plane and check weather forecasts.

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    8. In answer to the question about Autoland, the answer is that the system would look at weather and terrain/obstacles to determine a path to an airport with a GPS approach. It would have turned the airplane away from KISM and most likely flown east to any of several airports that had better weather. It picks the "most suitable" runway, which means with winds aligned, hard surface, and nice and long. Of course, that system is designed to be used when the pilot checks out (which seems to be the case here).

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  7. Is this the first chute pull on a VisionJet?

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    1. Yes, for production aircraft. The test vehicle was used in a chute test from flight, successful. Somewhat different system, however. Cirrus is 1/1 for production pulls at this point in the Cirrus Jet. First "field pull" here. As such, these crew members were test pilots. Regardless of initial assessment of causes, it hasn't been a good week for Cirrus Design hitting the blotter. This is a good thing as far as the product's capabilities, obviously. Wonder how late a Serial Number it was....Earlier chute compartments were recalled for water intrusion as I recall.

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    2. It is S/N 88, production year 2018.

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  8. Worse than a troll, an enemy of general aviation looking to further his personal investment. “… with a 2-year grandfathering after which older GA aircraft that don't get retrofitted are retired from service.” It would seem airplanes everywhere are falling from the sky. The only thing to worry about here is lobbyists, and manipulative scum.

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    1. Might not be granted the two years if Big Warehouse Corp lobbies for non-essential GA flying to be curtailed unless hitting a package delivery drone is mitigated by your aircraft having a chute.

      https://www.faa.gov/uas/advanced_operations/package_delivery_drone

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  9. I has me a jet now....I can fly through any type of weather and if I can't, I has me a parachute and a 2.8 million dollar pile of composite wreckage.

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    1. And I got me my own personal outdoor fuel infested Pond to swim in

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    2. Florida-based pilot knew to keep some fuel reserve to blanket the marsh so the gators and snakes would back off.

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    3. Q: What do you call a low-timer in a jet?

      A: A low-timer.

      Probably a new experience for him. In over his head.

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    4. May not have been over his head if it turns out that the principle LLC contact was PIC, with airmen registry showing ATP AMEL, Commercial ASEL and A/CE-525S, A/EMB-500 and C/SF-50.

      Finding that pilot in Citydata's March 2016 dated snapshot of Plantation Fl registered pilots shows Commercial ASEL, AMEL back then.

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    5. News6 (clickorlando.com) article quotes a man named Guillermo as saying he and the pilot co-own the plane. Guillermo was not on board the aircraft. The post above (9:40 PM Sep 10) reflects Guillermo's registry entry. The accident pilot's registry match is TBD.

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    6. Looks like Guillermo be lookin' for another partner!

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  10. A long METAR typically means just don't fly... Poor ADM to fly around weather...

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    1. I am not speculating on the cause of the crash but couldn't agree with you more

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  11. Microburst? Eastern 66, Pan Am 759, and Delta 191: like a hand pushing the planes out of the sky. That little microjet got its ass whooped based on the ads-b altitude readouts. The pilot prolly judged it worth $2.8M to make it stop.

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    1. Wouldn't wind pushing down an aircraft do the same with a chute?

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    2. Yes, it would. I was referring to the possible extreme turbulence, rain, and sudden shift in both horizontal and vertical wind components that may explain the decision to deploy the ‘chute.

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    3. I thought that, but with the chute adding even more surface area (~ < wing loading) to be exposed to even more forces of winds from all directions (ok, minus the forces from the decrease in forward IAS), wouldn't that make the turbulence even more felt and causing all kinds of forces with vectors acting on the entire aircraft-chute system it wasn't designed for?

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    4. When you have gotten yourself into a situation where you just don’t know what to do … just pull the chute.

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  12. Unfortunately this pilot should have opted for the wing removal option. It sheds the wings in a thunderstorm so the ride is not as rough and then deploys parachute.

    Another good option is the thunderstorm avoidance system. It detects Intense radar returns and steers the lane away. This pilot did not want it because he likes to fly through thunderstorms to make sure his plane looks really clean.

    Another great option is the amphibious option. Allows one to drive the Cirrus like a boat after pulling the chute. Can even pull one water skier less than 250 pounds. That rules out most women from Atlanta.

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    1. I think he had the WIC system installed (Water Ingestion Cappuccino): Brews a fresh cup on demand, but must be in a VIP level 4 or higher cell in order to provide enough compressor flooding to pressurize the air-driven 15 BAR professional Italian copper-lined espresso machine mounted on the Williams engine accessory case.

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  13. This accident's example of parachuting a jet to safety is going to set a new reference point beyond piston single chute rides that can't be unseen, altering public perception in the same way as SpaceX barge landings and reflights has altered perceptions about old school expendable rockets.

    Families who lose loved ones in sightseeing plane crashes, training flights and fiery impacts into homes and urban streets will notice. Pressure will grow to reduce the public's exposure to antiquated aircraft as modern alternatives equipped with BRS become more numerous.

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    1. I agree. Too many macho idiots out there. Same ones that were claiming real drivers drive without air bags.
      Massive qty and size of drones soon will also make the casual bird strike far more dangerous with those metallic things able to rip out an entire wing on a small GA plane. No amount of pilot skills can make up for lost wing. Midairs are also immune to recovery of any sort besides a BRS.

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  14. VisionJet gets diverted.
    VisionJet goes down on a parachute, witness verifies.
    Rolls over multiple times in a swamp with wind.
    Chute winds up hung up in a power line while in shallow water.
    Three people survive, two with injuries.

    Plenty of arguments, how about a few more facts.

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    1. Here are all the "facts" you need. He flew into this sh!t.

      https://weather.us/radar-us/osceola/stormtracking/KTBW_20220909-200052z.html

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    2. Impressive image, but that's one hour after the crash at 3:00 CDT

      I pulled down the 3:00 EDT image, and it shows a VIP level 5 cell right at the crash site:

      https://weather.us/radar-us/osceola/radar-and-lightning/KTBW_20220909-190134z.html

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    3. You're right, I had the settings for CDT. Here is the correct link for 3:00 PM EDT showing Thunderstorm activity, and direction of movement.
      Which looks even worse than the link I posted earlier. Thanks

      https://weather.us/radar-us/osceola/stormtracking/KTBW_20220909-190134z.html

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    4. Thank you - the wx image you reference explains the threat. Amazing the pilot seems to make no decision to divert. I will fly through a brief shower but into a level 5? especially with the NEXRAD wx display on a any Cirrus? How about simply looking out the front window and see the rainshaft and associated lightning? Well, they survived and that's good and we pay more for insurance.

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    5. The pilot said after the crash that he had been diverted, so he wasn't on his way to the original airport at that point.

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  15. ASOS for KISM before the chute pull at ~19:00Z:

    KISM 091850Z AUTO ///13KT 9SM BKN036 OVC046 28/22 A2983 RMK T02800220 LTG DSNT SW-N
    KISM 091845Z AUTO 29009KT 10SM BKN036 OVC048 29/23 A2981 RMK T02900230 LTG DSNT SW-N
    KISM 091840Z AUTO ///11KT 10SM BKN038 OVC048 31/23 A2981 RMK T03100230 LTG DSNT SW-N

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  16. Time to shut down the Cirrus Aircraft manufacturer!

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    1. Why do you find it necessary to stop manufacturing aircraft. They’re doing a fine job

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    2. With CAPS function tested by the "real world" severe thunderstorm event, buyers considering the jet will have added confidence in the chute's safety advantage. No denying that three lives were saved if you ran the weather radar replay further down this thread and saw what they flew into.

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    3. Why did they fly into a hailstorm in the first place? If you don’t fly into a hailstorm, you don’t need a parachute to survive it, right?

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    4. In the context of the CAPs functional demo, it doesn't matter why.

      Everyone expects CAPs will do what it is designed for if you just lose power in good weather but can't reach terrain suitable for normal landing. The fact that it worked in these conditions is what is noteworthy.

      Big win for Cirrus, will help the industry move forward stronger on BRS. Might someday have one on an Otter sized plane.

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    5. You're right: the unintended consequences of technology.

      I guess a good analogy is when my car did it's own panic-stop while I was admittedly distracted sending a text message. Without that technology, it would have been a rear-ender with considerable force.

      Over time, we may see more hull-loses with fewer deaths due to CAPs.

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    6. For Cirrus, the equivalent of a centerfold ad in FLYING Magazine: "Even if you do something stupid in one of our planes, you'll walk away"

      They're popping the expensive champagne over this, fer sure...

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    7. Except they didn’t walk away did they. Took over an hour with chainsaws just to get to them, then they were cut from the wreckage and stretchered out. I don’t know if breaking your back, neck, legs, permanent brain damage is a good thing. Don’t romanticise CAPS, a plane crash in weather from 3,200 is still just that, but in slow motion.

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    8. Tarzan's plane hit a lake at extreme speed. This could have been a repeat of that scenario. Acknowledging that CAPS prevented this aircraft from duplicating that destruction isn't romanticising CAPS.

      Story says the youngest got out on her own, just shaken. One had a hip injury and third had a gash on the head. Nothing about broken necks or brain damage. Joe Lara and his passengers would have preferred such an outcome if it had been an option.

      Eventually there will be a qualified riser release added to BRS so the chute doesn't drag the airplane around after setting it down. Capsules for landing astronauts have that type of release for the same reason.

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  17. A moving replay view of the weather moving in can be performed using the steps below.

    Go to:
    https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/maps/radar/
    - Disable ad blocking for this website.
    (Page is blank/no map if adblock interferes)
    - Map screen opens
    - Drag the "Search for a location" box out and use it.
    - Enter Kissimmee, hit enter, then close the search box.
    - A red blinking Kissimmee marker appears.
    - Enter Date 2022/09/09, Hour 18 Minute 20
    - Hit "update map" to set start time into map.
    - Locate Lake Tohopekaliga for reference
    (The lake will be easy to see at 18:20 UTC)
    - Zoom out a bit and center view on the lake.

    Animate the incoming weather buildup by repeatedly clicking the +5 Min selector through to 19:00 UTC, use -5 Min selector to walk it back. You can change opacity of the WX overlay from the gear control icon if desired.

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  18. Looks like flying is turning into the wild wild west, just go and do what ever you feel like doing.....

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  19. It appears that "get me out of this stupid decision I made" is not a new thing, just new to the VisionJet.

    Many of the CAPS ("Cirrus Airframe Parachute System") deployments are because of stupid moves as a pilot. For example:

    CAPS Event #5 (N286CD): Dude ices up in forecast icing conditions in mountainous terrain and loses control of the plane.

    CAPS Event #36 (N544SR): Pilot becomes undone after controller yells at him in traffic pattern, stalls / spins the plane.

    CAPS Event #39 (N80KW): Pilot can neither program the automation nor hand-fly in IMC, gives up and pulls the chute of a plane with no "preimpact mechanical malfunctions".

    CAPS Event #43 (N1967N): After first notch of flaps, plane rolls right. Pilot retracts the flaps, plane stops rolling. So what does he do next? He goes to FULL FLAPS and plane rolls sharply right into an unrecoverable attitude.

    CAPS Event #44 (N715CD): Pilot with very weak scores on the private pilot AND instrument rating knowledge tests was getting knocked around a bit in clouds and feeling disoriented, decides he had enough, so he pulls the chute but it FAILS TO DEPLOY. What's his "plan B" ?? Reduce power and descend below the clouds to VMC, and land. <-- can't make this sh!t up !

    Lot's more.

    Source: https://www.cirruspilots.org/Safety/CAPS-Event-History


    ReplyDelete
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    1. Realistically, pilots of similar abilities/inabilities have done the same as those examples for years in non-BRS aircraft, ending up as smoking holes. Does having a chute encourage such mistakes? Yes, presumably it would. Meanwhile, on the ground, a chute-dropped aircraft is better for the innocent lives below than augering in at high speed.

      Embrace the chute, as worthwhile protection from equipment failures and dumb piloting alike. If you are old enough to remember single line brake systems and rigid steering columns in automobiles, you know that the time for BRS to become standard GA equipment has arrived.

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    2. Agree, and well said.

      I am the CAPS stupid crash poster. Illustrating the use of CAPS in place of good skills and judgement may appear to argue against such technology, but I'm not.

      The same can be said for all the safety devices in modern jetliners, such as ground-proximity warning, configuration alarms, windshear detection, autopilot-only CAT 3 approaches, stick shaker / pusher, etc. All of those are work-arounds for human vulnerabilities, developed in the wake of horrific air disasters; the argument that a "real pilot" would be able to avoid the need for those devices may be true, but we are designing around the lowest common denominator pilot, both for airlines as well as GA.

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    3. You aren't wrong to post the stupid crashes. As you point out, technology work-arounds can sometimes crutch human shortcomings. Unfortunately, the larger context of the changing world we live in now features a shift from performance verification to "making life fair" in accordance with current trends.

      Significance of well heeled GA pilots operating stupidly will pale in comparison to what comes after wide ranging elimination of qualification requirements, as seen in news about easing that off in medical training, eliminating the bar exam and softening military fitness standards, to name some examples.

      Having BRS technology come of age and do it's part is great. Wish we had a technology solution to the dumbing down in other areas. :-)

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    4. All good reasons to have a parachute....Only other reason to have one is engine failure....

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  20. "Wish we had a technology solution to the dumbing down in other areas."

    Amen!

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  21. If pilots are dumb enough to steer their aircraft into massive cells that then require get out jail cards like chutes, which I am not arguing against, then they deserve to be replaced by robots and machines. Frankly AI is so advanced today at this point it needs to take over and tell a stupid pilot: "You're stupid! I am taking over!"
    Soon saying something is still under human control will make one cringe as human errors will be order of magnitude greater than advanced systems intelligent enough to make aircrafts be like birds or insects in their agility and acumen escaping bad flying issues.

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    1. Automating to not fly into a cell isn't particularly difficult, but full "intelligence" can bring unintended results.

      For example, a dispassionate AI responding to power loss over Jackson Hole might choose to do a ballistic glide into terrain just clear of downtown instead of deploying the chute if the drift track would drop the aircraft onto an occupied high density area below.

      The reference parameter database can be flexible: Allow a chute drop onto townsfolk if you have the advantaged financial status or party affiliation in the data set, but glide ballistically into a smoking hole otherwise. Or into the smoking hole only when dignitaries are gathered for a shindig in town, or if your social media posts are out of line.

      The ultimate AI could interact real time with that oncoming Hyundai car's controller to steer the lesser car off into oblivion over the edge of a mountainous road's curve if the Audi Platinum Club Member's AI detected drifting and needed to widen it's turn as it headed through the curve.

      Platinum club AI that can deliver that kind of advantage is the monthly fee subscription unicorn of the future, adaptable to broad areas of everyday life.

      See: Kubrick's "Hal, open the door" & "I can't do that, Dave"

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    2. Still beats human imperfect "feel by the pants" decision making. Or startle effect decision making. But key is reduce the energy involved and BRS opening is exactly that... a mitigation of the energy involved which makes all parameters less than lethal.

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  22. The BRS is the last option and it works most of the time. The person who pulls the BRS has run out of a long list of options that perhaps should have been acted upon long before the last one on the list. The wings seem to still be on the VisionJet after the decent to the ground. It is still not clear why the BRS was activated. I give the pilot credit - it takes balls to yank that handle - an outright high energy crash was avoided.

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    Replies
    1. They flew into a cell and panicked. Sadly a perfectly good multimillion jet was wasted by poor decision making.

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    2. Flying the jet in airspace near Orlando International. This wasn't a NORDO Cub flight. Did ATC send them into the cell on approach? Radar playback showing the wx moving in from the west raises this question.

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    3. Remind me again: who has final authority for the safe operation of an aircraft?

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    4. Changing the subject didn't answer the question. Go play back the radar image of what ATC certainly had in view. ATC fail to advise is certainly a question to be addressed.

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    5. You're right, and I didn't mean to imply that ATC may not share some culpability, especially since they are usually very helpful and proactive with weather avoidance. The ATC tapes will be interesting. Ultimately, however, the probable cause will likely read: "The pilot's decision to..."

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    6. The report will be deferential to controllers. The Barnes Corfu NY crash included a "go back to prior freq" call that the accident pilot replied "say again" to but wasn't answered, followed by the NORDO interval. The controller's contribution to the NORDO got glossed over in the report.

      Maybe controllers "forgot" to keep up with the Cirrus pilot after they initially vectored him, same as Brendan Spratt's N670BS misfortune in Boca last year.

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  23. Heavy rain could have caused a flame-out............

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  24. don't know the VJ well enough to know if de-ice activation turns on the ignitors. Heavy rain in a turbo-prop calls for ice doors open, ignitors on.

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  25. I'm assuming weather radar is standard in the VJ ?

    I fly with both XM and radar, and radar takes a bit of finesse to use properly. Maybe he flew into a 3 minute old "clear" area on XM while radar was ignored?

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    1. The "Elite" package includes what would other wise have been optional "Digital Real Time Weather Radar " and the 2017 and 2018 VJ's listed on Controller right now all show Elite and the Digital Real Time Weather Radar in the listings. Seems likely this one would have the Elite package as well.

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  26. How about just looking outside the stupid window, in Florida storms look really nasty from the air...

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  27. If your thoughts are if "engine failure pull chute, brilliant" Check this out. One had a flameout on Wednesday from 25,000 ft over Georgia. Was dead sticked into KTOC. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N535JP

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    1. A REAL Cirrus pilot would have pulled the chute.

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    2. https://www.pprune.org/private-flying/611271-cirrus-fly.html

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  28. Why are you flying into thunderstorms sir? Storms don't care how much money you might have!






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    1. That's the best and most timeless wisdom I have heard in a while.

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  29. i would not call this an accident, it was not an accident. it was intentional destruction of a perfectly good, working aircraft. bad decision to waste a 3 million dollar aircraft. they should have just turned around and gone back to miami. this will cause insurance rates for these jets to needlessly go up.

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    1. ...but Chinese-owned Cirrus Aircraft will call this a "CAPS Save"

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    2. A BRS doesn't care about why a pilot chose to deploy it. This heavy weather deployment success enhances by demonstration the recognized advantage of having the option. Every small aircraft manufacturer would boast of the demonstrated function if it was their airframe.

      Obvious now that the Chinese investors were most wise, snatching the pebble from everyone else's hand.

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