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Photos in graphic from video provided by Bellevue Washington Police DepartmentThe Cirrus Airframe Parachute System was deployed on a Cirrus SR22 after the engine failed, saving both people on board. A witness captured the scene on Tuesday, showing the whole-plane parachute bringing the plane down in a controlled manner, allowing the pilot and passenger to walk away uninjured.
The Bellevue, Washington Police Department posted video of the plane being slowly brought down to the wooded ground by a bright orange and white parachute, saving the two people on board the SR22. The Seattle Times reported that the two individuals on board told officers they were on a training flight out of Renton when they experienced engine failure. The pilot deployed the whole-plane parachute system, which allowed them to bring the plane down in a controlled manner. Several witnesses in the area called in the sighting and KKTV News 11 reported that neighbors saw the two men climb out of the plane unharmed.
"I was actually just making mac and cheese at my house, so we heard like a loud bang, so we thought it was like gunshots or something so we got scared," witness Kiera Perez told KKTV.RELATED STORY:The Life-Saving Technology Behind the Cirrus Parachute System
According to Cirrus Aircraft, the first CAPS emergency deployment occurred in 2002 over Lewisville, Texas in an SR Series aircraft. The first deployment on a fielded Vision Jet aircraft took place in September 2022 when a Cirrus SF50 deployed CAPS before landing in Lake Tohopekaliga in Orlando, Florida where the pilot and two passengers on board only received minor injuries. On Nov. 25, 2022 a pilot survived a crash landing shortly after taking off from the Indianapolis Regional Airport (MQJ) after deploying the CAPS parachute system.
The Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association said that as of the end of 2023 there were 126 saves with 258 survivors in aircraft equipped with CAPS, now with two more survivors added to the list. The lifesaving feature consists of a large ballistic rocket-fire parachute attached to the airframe. Within eight seconds, all forward velocity is reduced to zero and the descent rate is about 20 mph. COPA reported that when CAPS is used, you are 13 times more likely to survive a Cirrus plane crash. The group reported that no one has died when CAPS was deployed higher than 1,000 feet above the ground and slower than the Vne airspeed of 200 knots. Many of the deadly CAPS events have resulted from the system being activated at too low of an altitude or too fast a speed.
The FAA and NTSB were notified about the Washington CAPS crash and the NTSB will investigate.