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Dramatic video footage captured a small plane, carrying six people including a 3-year-old and a newborn, floating safely to the ground in Brazil after the pilot deployed an onboard parachute during an emergency.
The single-engine Cirrus SR22 suffered engine failure shortly after it took off from Pampulha Airport in Belo Horizonte, in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, about 11:30 a.m. March 11, Air Data News reported.
Fortunately, disaster was averted when the pilot deployed the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), a whole plane recovery system that has so far saved 249 lives.
According to the Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association, the pilot reported loss of engine power during cruise, attempted to return to the airport, and activated CAPS when realizing there was insufficient glide range.
Footage posted by Aeroin shows the small plane floating over Sabará and then bouncing after hitting the ground.
Despite taking a bounce, everyone in the single-engine plane emerged unscathed.
“The entire crew was conscious, oriented, and without apparent injuries,” the Minas Gerais Military Fire Department said, referring to everyone onboard the plane.
The plane, which was manufactured in 2022, belonged to Bradesco Leasing e Arrendamento Mercantil but operated with Volare Equipamentos Aéreos, according to Air Data News.
The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, referred to as CAPS, was approved in 1998 and was the first of its kind to become certified by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The pilot deploys the parachute by pulling the CAPS handle on the aircraft’s ceiling once the minimum altitude has been reached. In seconds, the ballistic rocket-fired parachute unfolds, sending the plane down slowly.
According to the Cirrus pilots website, the parachute deployment was the 122nd save, with 249 people surviving emergencies using the system.
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