Thanks to a parachute, a Cirrus SR22 aircraft narrowly avoided crashing into a home in Lawson, NSW yesterday. Yes, that’s right, a plane parachute. They are indeed a thing and the aircraft’s four occupants have its existence to thank for, well, their existence.
The aircraft was spotted in trouble early Saturday afternoon by Blue Mountains local Robert Ross, who realised problems were afoot when its engine began “to splutter”. According to a story by SMH’s Nick Ralston, the pilot seemed to get things going again, only for the engine to pack it in for good.
The story goes on to say that the Cirrus’ parachute was deployed at an altitude of 1300m. Before then, Ross states it was almost certainly going to crash into his house:
“It then started to go into a spiral. I thought the pilot was going to eject but it all happened too quick. I started yelling out to my wife ‘There’s a plane going to crash into the house’”
“I was shitting myself then it veered off and crashed about 400 metres away.”
I think it’d have been brown-trousers time for most people in the same situation. Fortunately, apart from “neck pain”, there were no injuries or fatalities.
The article mentions that the Cirrus is likely a sales/demo model based at Bankstown airport. I’m not sure if this will be considered good or bad publicity.
[SMH]