Pull early, pull often!

Compare the past six months with the same time last year. You will see half the fatal accidents and way more CAPS saves. What a difference a year makes! Last year, in the last six months of 2011, we saw 11 fatal accidents in Cirrus SR2X aircraft...

In the accident history of Cirrus accidents, we appreciate the survival of people after a CAPS event due to the innovative safety feature of the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). When the CAPS parachute system has been activated within design...

Dr. Richard “Dick” McGlaughlin and his daughter Elaine made national news after they used the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) to splash down in the azure blue waters near the Bahamas. Their landing under that big red-and-white parachute...

I posted an observation about a dramatic reduction in fatal accidents a week ago while updating the Cirrus accident statistics for the upcoming COPA Pilot Proficiency Program (CPPP) events , Here's a chart of the number of fatal Cirrus accidents...

As I posted in a separate thread about the SAFE symposium (see COPA participation in SAFE GA pilot training reform symposium ), John King presented some counter-intuitive solutions to create a sea-change in the culture of aviation. One applies to COPA...

This blog is the second attempt to share lessons and insights gained from studying a Cirrus fatal accident, Cirrus fatal #65 in SR20 N527MJ near Chapel Hill (was Sr 20 Down Chapel Hill) . (My first blog explored the loss of engine power at Buttonville...

At the CPPP in Van Nuys in 2010, we had the good fortune to have two COPA Pilots who have pulled the CAPS parachute handle and survived. That prompted me to spend a bit of time with each of them to inquire about their experiences. This is the second...

During a post-event discussion thread about CAPS pull #30 near Kiowa, CO , I was prompted to prepare a frequency graph that showed the number of CAPS saves over time. I already had a graph that showed the frequency of fatal Cirrus accidents by quarter...

At each of the more popular CPPP weekend recurrent training events , we encourage COPA members to bring their right-seat partners for the Partner in Command (PIC) course. The course spends 3 hours on the Saturday morning exploring how a partner can handle...

Note: as a sponsor of the recent KANE CPPP, BRS Aerospace was invited to speak to the group of assembled COPA Pilots and instructors. Boris Popov, founder and VP of BRS Aerospace and inventor of the ballistic parachute system, spoke during our lunch break...

What do you plan to do when bad things happen on departure? Have a loss of engine power on take off? Hit a bird that damages the airplane sufficiently to make it hard to control? In a Cirrus, with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, pilots have...

Doing some work on updating the Cirrus accident statistics information, largely prompted by Carol Jensen's recent work with updating CDM charts . That gave rise to clarifying how we distinguish the kinds of information about CAPS parachute...

As of mid-April 2010, the fatal accident rate of Cirrus aircraft has improved. Certainly fewer fatal accidents (four) in the dark, winter months of 2009-2010 than any of the previous winters (seven, nine, seven) since 2005-2006. Note that the fleet...

Getting home from the Las Vegas CPPP proved challenging for many participants, including me. The weather turned cold and cloudy on Sunday morning and prevented any flight segments. (Thanks to Kelly Rudy for organizing two tours of the Las Vegas TRACON...

When invited to Germany to speak at the Baden-Baden CPPP, I took a pilgrimage to the site of the fatal Cirrus accident at Zurich Airport. It wasn't a planned trip. But it was an impactful one. Coming almost half-way around the world for this CPPP...

The second CPPP weekend of 2009 took place with a large group of COPA members at North Las Vegas airport. As we did with the Lakeland CPPP, we invited participants to provide feedback through an on-line survey. 80% responded and gave us good marks for...

In the effort to revitalize the CPPP experience, we invited the participants in the Lakeland CPPP to provide feedback through an on-line survey. 47 flight and ground participants were invited and 41 responded, which gives an amazing 87% response rate...

Prompted by the thought-provoking post by Craig Albright on when to pull the chute, let me amplify his analysis in this safety blog. Mantra of "Pull early, pull often!" It bothers some people. "Early" might be misconstrued as...

Let's be straight. Flying is risky, and nothing can eliminate all of the risk. The CAPS parachute system offers a COPA Pilot one last safety option. But it may not be the best option. The thread, G3 Turbo Down on Highway in Duluth Today , prompted...