Cirrus crash in Channel.

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18 years 11 months

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Unfortunately another Cirrus crash and the pilot did not survive.:(

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/jersey/7733488.stm

Original post

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 16,832

It seems he did everything right (Liferaft etc) and still didn't make it.

Ditching at night can't be easy.

Very sad.

Moggy

Member for

18 years 11 months

Posts: 8,847

Be interesting to learn if the parachute was deployed.:confused:

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 4,508

The pilot has been named as Alex de Gruchy a local businessman.

I had the pleasure of meeting Alex a number of times over the past year. The last time at the Helping Hands charity event at the Jersey Aeroclub last month where he was one of the pilots who gave up his Saturday to fly disadvantaged children around the island.

Member for

18 years 11 months

Posts: 8,847

The aircraft was N224AG, delivered new this year.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 16,832

Be interesting to learn if the parachute was deployed.:confused:

It will be.

Chute deployment is not SOP for a ditching as the undercarriage can't play its part in absorbing the vertical arrest when it hits, so serious back injury is to be expected.

Moggy

Member for

18 years 11 months

Posts: 8,847

It would be an interesting debate whether the risks of a water landing with a fixed undercarriage at night would be outweighed by an assisted splashdown in a vertical descent.:confused:

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16 years

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Anyone know the time between pulling the handle and full chute opening? It would be interesting to test what would happen if you glided it down to say 15-20 feet above the water and then popped the chute.

Ryan

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16 years 4 months

Posts: 2,101

Anyone know the time between pulling the handle and full chute opening? It would be interesting to test what would happen if you glided it down to say 15-20 feet above the water and then popped the chute.

Ryan

From handle to full envelope is about 4 seconds (If you watch the vids).

Member for

16 years

Posts: 242

From handle to full envelope is about 4 seconds (If you watch the vids).

Interesting. I fuel one of the Cirrus aircraft (there are two that we hangar) from our hangar several days a week, and there are more at the airport where I work.

Ryan