Despite Concerns, Cessna Reaffirms Commitment To Program

The National Transportation Safety Board has issued its preliminary report on the March 19 loss of Cessna's second Model 162 SkyCatcher prototype, stating the aircraft was in a "rapid and disorienting spin" when the test pilot onboard elected to deploy the plane's emergency Ballistic Recovery System parachute.

As ANN reported, the pilot onboard escaped serious injury when the light sport aircraft set down in a field north of El Dorado, KS. It was the second accident involving a prototype model of Cessna's upcoming light sport aircraft... and, the NTSB report confirms, the second to stem from spin testing of the aircraft.

The report further states the pilot then encountered an unusual situation once the 'chute was deployed. "The BRS had been specifically modified to allow the chute to be jettisoned by the pilot if altitude and conditions allowed," the report states. "After BRS deployment and the airplane became stabilized in the parachute, the pilot attempted to jettison the chute several times. Each jettison attempt was unsuccessful."

The NTSB adds the pilot then opened the door, with the intent of bailing out of the aircraft with his personal parachute -- "but realized he was too low to ensure a successful bailout and elected to stay with the airplane." Once on the ground, the pilot attempted to manually separate the parachute canopy from the plane... "but surface winds inflated the parachute and drug the airplane. The airplane traveled about .6 miles before getting caught in a fence and flipping over."

Despite mounting questions about the future of Cessna's LSA program following this second spin-related accident, on Wednesday Cessna CEO Jack Pelton attempted to head off concerns stemming from the NTSB's report.

Pelton noted that in both accident events, the aircraft were involved in 'aggressive' spin testing. "We test all our aircraft well beyond the limits of what is expected in normal operation," he added. "By the time a Cessna aircraft enters service we have the highest degree of confidence in the design, flight characteristics, manufacture and quality of the aircraft."

The Cessna president also noted company engineers have obtained valuable -- if inadvertent -- data on the crashworthiness of the aircraft, as well as the operation of the Ballistic Recovery System (BRS) airframe parachute, as a result of the two accidents.

It appears likely the accidents will result in at least some delay in Cessna's original delivery schedule for the aircraft, which called for the first production SkyCatchers to be in customers hands by the end of this year. It's not clear how long that delay might be, however.

"We are making every effort to minimize the impact on deliveries to our customers," Pelton concluded. "The need for a modern, cost-effective two-seat trainer aircraft has never been greater, and we believe we are well positioned to meet that need."

FMI: Read The NTSB Prelim, www.cessna.com