Pilot Deployed Parachute, All Aboard Uninjured

The pilot of a Cirrus SR20 on approach to Danbury Municipal Airport in Danbury, CT, deployed the airplane's parachute for "unknown mechanical reasons" Tuesday evening. While the airplane came to rest nose-down near a residential street, all three people aboard the airplane reportedly were uninjured.

The initial FAA report on the accident says simply that the "aircraft on approach crashed in a residential area, Danbury, CT." The agency's N Registry indicates that the airplane was built in 2008, and is registered to Kenyon Flight LLC of West Hartford, CT.

The website newstimes.com reports that the thee men on board were able to exit the aircraft under their own power and were treated at the scene. Their names were not immediately released. The pilot reported engine problems about five miles from the airport and deployed the parachute about two miles from the runway, according to Danbury Airport Assistant Administrator Mike Safranek.

The three were en route to Danbury (KDXR) from Groton, CT. Authorities said that the parachute was hung up in the trees, billowing in the wind and close to the power lines which border the street. The pilot, who was not identified, is reported to be a CFI who was giving instruction in the airplane to a student when the accident occurred. The third person on board was a friend of the student, Safranek said.

(Similar airplane pictured in file photo. Not accident aircraft)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov