Cirrus BRS deployments - Alan Klapmeier's comments on NPR

ArtP wrote:

The pilot was instrument rated with 600 hours in a Cirrus. For the
parachute to work he had to be at least 900'. Since the ceiling was
only 400', I suspect he was in the soup without instrumentation. Maybe
you could land under those conditions, but most of us could not.

You are right. I would have significant problems with no instruments.
But then I am not instrument rated and I avoid IMC conditions. My
only experience with IMC was with an instructor in the right seat.
Even with instruments, my ears were telling me bad things compared to
the instruments.

But your statement suggests significant failure of the flight
instruments. Is that typical for that aircraft?

Ron Lee

On Sun, 18 Apr 2004 02:33:41 GMT, (Ron Lee)
wrote:


But your statement suggests significant failure of the flight
instruments. Is that typical for that aircraft?


Over the years COPA has had move than a few posts of pilots have
instrument failures. Sometimes multiple failures. The multiple
failures were all in VFR conditions so the pilots could report the
problem. One had multiple instrument failures combined with a
parachute failure but that pilot was able to land in a field after
broke out near the ground (Lexington, Ky.). Anytime a plane has a
large number of individual component failures eventually some will
happen together and sooner or later they will happen in the worst
possible conditions.

Ron,

But your statement suggests significant failure of the flight
instruments. Is that typical for that aircraft?


Jeeze! "His statement" is as much guesswork as is everybodys with
regard to these accident. That's what accident *investigations* are
for!

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)