BRS Chute Used At Night To Save 4
ANN has learned that a CAPS (Cirrus Airframe Parachute
System) emergency system was used late yesterday in Canada to
recover an aircraft in distress. Manufactured by BRS, the rocket
propelled parachute recovery system was reportedly used on a flight
from Kelowna, B.C. to Lethbridge, Alberta about 2115 local
time.
Severe turbulence over mountains, at night, seem to be
contributing factors to an emergency that occurred to an SR20 that
was carrying three adults and a child when the chute had to be
deployed over the Monashee Mountains (Note the picture, below, of
another Cirrus over the same territory... OUCH!).
Additional info, gathered from local media reports, suggests
that the pilot experienced a loss of control as a result of the
aforementioned severe turbulence and deployed the chute over the
mountainous terrain. The aircraft impacted on a wooded hillside, at
a 45 degree angle, in an area that was so remote, that
they had to be helicoptered out. After reaching the ground,
the pilot of the aircraft radioed aircraft overhead and directed
his own rescue operations from the impact site. Damage to the
aircraft is reported to be surprisingly limited.
An Air Canada Jazz deHavilland DHC-8 flying overhead relayed
radio communication from the pilot, Albert Kolk (67), of Southern
Alberta, to rescuers and kept station until emergency helo crews
arrived to perform the extraction and rescue of the four on board.
Wyn Lewis, a member of the Cirrus Pilot's
Association praised the Dash-8 crew, "as the Cirrus lay
on the ground waiting for the rescue helicopter." Lewis notes
that, "It's at times like this that you get the real sense of
community that we pilots are privileged to belong to.
"Captain Jochen Dous of the Victoria Search and Rescue service
confirmed that all four aboard were "uninjured" (outside of
assorted bumps and bruises) and transported back to Kelowna, 45
miles away.
This is the second actual emergency deployment of a certified
BRS parachute system on a Cirrus Design airframe, the first
occurring in October of 2002 to pilot Lionel Morrison. Kolk told
the Calgary Sun that the BRS emergency chute was "...an absolute
must for small planes... It's why I bought the plane."
In 2002, ANN did an extraordinary two part interview with SR22
pilot, Lionel Morrison, the first pilot to fire off a BRS CAPS
parachute recovery system in emergency circumstances. The links to
that amazing story are included below: