Ron Lee wrote:
Larry Dighera wrote:

On Thu, 26 Oct 2006 05:17:49 -0700, Terry wrote
in :

What's with the SR22 crashes? Another one went down Arizona yesterday.


It looks like that slick wing doesn't like ice:
http://www.faa.gov/data_statistics/a...a/01_121LD.txt

Sounds like pilot stupidity. Wasn't he aware that the parachute
system offers to save them from doing other stupid things like flying
into icing conditions?

The parachute system absolves the pilot of being responsible and
making sound judgments about when to fly or not fly BUT they must know
when to activate the parachute.

Why would you jump to that conclusion? Maybe he thought that he could
descend into a nearby airport. According to Flightaware, he was going
from Reno (KRNO) to Lake Tahoe (KTVL). The flight path ends near
either Carson (KCXP), which has a 5900' runway, or Minden (KMEV), which
has a 7400' runway. There are at least these other possibilities:

1) I think the Cirrus POH indicates to deploy CAPS in the event a safe
landing cannot be made. If the pilot thought that he could keep his
speed up and get into KCXP or KMEV, he may have been tempted to attempt
a landing and stalled with no chance of recovery, such as in a steep
turn. CAPS is to be used as a last resort, such as in complete IMC or
inhospitable terrain.

2) CAPS can be deployed only after getting the speed down to about 133
knots. His cruise speed would probably have been about 180 knots. If
he decided to deploy the CAPS, his wing may have stalled while he
attempted to get his airspeed down to CAPS deployment speed.

3) He may have been above Lake Tahoe, which is big, deep, and cold. If
I thought the plane is flyable, I'd probably head close to shore before
pulling the CAPS handle as I'm not sufficiently confident of my ability
to swim long distances or tread extremely cold water for an extended
period.

He may have been stupid in departing into known icing, but I didn't
check yesterday's METARs or PIREPs in the area, and so don't know
whether icing was forecast or known. However, we don't yet know why he
didn't pull the 'chute handle and so can't yet call him stupid for that.