Originally Posted by
jonnyjetprop
Something to keep in the back of your mind. No pilot or passenger has been killed when the chute was deployed within the operational envelope. While some have died, others have lived when the chute was deployed outside the envelope. (Generally too low)
Now the question. Are you 100% sure you'll survive the off field landing? You don't have the option of taking it low and then pulling. I'm good, but am I 100%? The chute is 100%.
The Cirrus Owners And Pilots Association is pushing for chute first. Their numbers are telling them that half the fatal accidents could have been saved by pulling the chute. So the way they see it, the problem isn't that pilot's are pulling, it's that they are trying to save the plane and killing themselves in the process.
Here are some stats:
Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) Deployment History - Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association
The proper envelope fatality with chute is 0%... but keep in mind if one death occurs next it jumps to about 3% due to the small n. Unfortunately by necessity, the CAPS is particularly ineffective in high accident phases of flight.
That being said I too think the system looks great, especially for complications in IMC, which takes you from very low to high probability of favorable outcome. I want one but can't justify it right now.
