October 27, 2006
Dear Cirrus Owners,
As you may know, there have recently been several fatal accidents involving Cirrus aircraft. We at Cirrus are deeply saddened by these tragedies, and we offer our sincere condolences to those who have lost family and loved ones as a result of these accidents. We know you all share these sentiments
Historically, weather has been one of the most significant risk factors affecting general aviation. This is particularly true now when the onset of winter weather brings lower ceilings and visibilities, increased likelihood of icing conditions as well as increased night flying. We, as prudent pilots, must adjust our decision making to the new season.
Cirrus offers several tools to help reduce the risks associated with adverse weather accidents - these include:
Airplane systems such as weather data link graphics and terrain awareness and warning system.
Training on risk management, including setting personal weather minimums.
Cirrus AFM, training materials, and website containing numerous relevant safety resources.You can also find other resources to help you fly safely at the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) website cirruspilots.org
We each need to make a personal commitment to flying more safely. As a Cirrus pilot I intend to take the following steps today:
Review the Envelope of Safety at cirruslink.com/mycirrus Review my personal weather minimum Review winter weather flying techniques, including reviewing the AFM sections on the TKS system if it is installed Review methods of getting the best weather information before flying and how to use available in flight weather information to complete my trip safely. Review all my alternatives while flying.As Cirrus pilots, we owe ourselves, our passengers, and our families a professional approach to operating our airplanes. More than anything else, this means safety. It means that we are proficient at risk management, information management, and aircraft automation management all the things that Cirrus transition and recurrent training are intended to support.
Please take advantage of the resources that Cirrus and COPA have provided to you to enable you to fly at the highest level of safety. Together we must increase our continued focus on safety. Please think about safety!
Alan Klapmeier
Cirrus Design Co-Founder & CEO
hmm looks like Cirrus is getting nervous about accidents hurting sales
They better. But it’s too late if they want to sell me one their sweet SR’s. NO thanks. 
…yea all you needed was an extra $250k laying around 
As stated by COPA President Mike Radomsky “It is tempting, but very dangerous, to believe that because the airplane is capable of flying in challenging conditions, the pilot can take it there,” he wrote "No technology can replace training, skill, profiency, and judgement.
Maybe if they spent more time with the basics of flying, instead of gee wiz avionics, the results may prove less catastrophic.
My first demo flight by Cirrus was in a SR22. After nearly running the battery dead waiting for all the screens to load up and more button pushing and knob twisting, I had to ask… “Can I watch a DVD in this or tune in CNN?” Lets go fly - too many eyes forgetting there are windows to look out of.
One of the latest crashes involves one that got into icing. Rode it all the way down, and I suppose the thought never occured to Pull the shute.
I watched video of the accident site, the chute was deployed and lying over the cockpit area. I note that the chute could have discharged on impact.
I have viewed several times the video on Cirrus Web site of the chute deploying in flight, the nose drops and it takes a little time (and distance) for the aircraft to fall in a level position.
N121LD appeared to have hit nose first, snapping the fuselage behind the cockpit. Obviously only my thoughts here, but it gave me the feeling had the chute been deployed, it was too near the ground to fully deploy.
The SR22-GTS is still a 10, it’s an amazing aircraft, I agree the technology in this aircraft can easily be overwhelming - yet I wouldn’t want it any other way!
First off, I am new to this Forum and its my First Post. I have flown for 8 years and only became a PPL in the last year. I have flown UL craft and during this time span that were equiped with BRS Chutes.
I lost a good friend, and my Plane last year in a Crash and the BRS deployed after inpact, it was laid out on the gound just Perfect.
The inpact caused the Chute to deploy, The Trigger in the Rocket Motor is always in the fire position and the Pull pin releases it.
I spoke to BRS direct after this Crash and the Inspector there had just come back from a Cirrus Crash in which the Pilot did not Fire the chute but it deployed on inpact. It seems to be a common thing for deployment on inpact.
The Folks at BRS have drawings on there site of the Trigger if you care to look.
As to my friend it was a great loss, Alan was a Gold Seal ATP and my Flight Instructor. He was entering a Open Pasture that had Hidden power lines, just two strands and the sun was in his eyes late afternoon, and caught a line on the Front main Gear inpact was Prop first.
I had just talked to Alan two days before his Death and disscussed off field landing and stated I never entered them unless I walked them first.
Never the less, I still feel the loss Daily, and contune to Fly with Passion.
Steve
I may be totally wrong on this, sort of an aviation novice, but can the plane be returned to airworthiness after a chute deployment? Somewhere I got the idea that the airframe would be too stressed by the impact.
Anyway, I’ve got a theory that pilots may wait too long to deploy the chute, knowing that doing so costs them a quarter-mil or more (hypothetically). By the time they get into “Oh, s***” mode, it’s too late.
Any thoughts on this?
EDIT: I guess my answer was in the other thread. Dumb newbie.