Another Cirrus SR22 pilot looks to have been saved by the aircraft’s parachute when he ran out of fuel 220nm (400km) from Hawaii.
After alerting the authorities to his plight, the pilot deployed the parachute – which is fitted as standard to the single-engine type. He was directed by the US Coast Guard towards a cruise ship in the area and ditched in the Pacific Ocean. The pilot was able to exit the four-seat aircraft onto a life raft and was rescued by crew from the ship. Crew on a USCG Lockheed Martin HC-130, flying overhead, coordinated, and filmed, the rescue.
The pilot, who had left California for Lahaina on the island of Maui on 25 January, contacted the authorities at 12:30 local time to say he had 3h of fuel remaining and would be forced to ditch in the sea.
Cirrus says it is the 51st time the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System has been deployed, “resulting in 104 persons returning safely”. The Duluth, Minnesota-based airframer says it is assisting the authorities in the investigation of the incident.
Source: Flight International
