SOUTH ST. PAUL, Minn., Jan. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc. (BULLETIN BOARD: BRSI) ( http://brsparachutes.com/ ), a manufacturer of whole-airplane parachute recovery systems for general aviation and recreational aircraft, announced today that the pilot of a Cirrus SR22 airplane, with two passengers on board, made a successful parachute deployment after losing control of the aircraft at altitude due to in-flight icing. The Sylacauga, Ala., sheriff's department confirmed reports that the plane came safely to rest in a grove of trees adjacent to a road near Childersburg, Ala., close to the Childersburg-Fayetteville Highway.
Pilot Kerwin Day, a certified flight instructor and airline transport rated pilot, reported that he had control difficulties while attempting to maneuver through an area of in-cloud icing weather conditions. The airplane was not equipped with an icing protection system. Day said that while trying to climb to a higher altitude to escape the icing conditions the airplane began to shake and entered into a stall, before turning sharply and experiencing a total loss of control.
Day, who has over 12,000 flight hours, activated the parachute system and he and his two passengers made a successful parachute landing coming to rest just a few feet above the ground suspended by trees. "I pulled the chute and got a sudden jolt against the seatbelt, said Day. "The nose pitched down and very quickly leveled itself and in less than a minute we were on the ground."
When reached for comment via cell phone during what became an automobile drive back to Atlanta, Day said that he and his two passengers were enjoying dinner at a barbeque restaurant, happy and relieved that because of the parachute they were able to survive their ordeal.
Larry E. Williams CEO of BRS said, "A scenario of this type is exactly why we at BRS go to work every day. What could have been a tragic disaster had a successful outcome, there were no fatalities in this accident, thankfully there were not even any injuries."
BRS is the exclusive supplier of airframe parachutes for Cirrus aircraft. The Cirrus SR22 is the world's best selling airplane in its class, and like all Cirrus aircraft comes equipped from the factory with a standard installation parachute called CAPS(TM) -- the Cirrus Airplane Parachute System.
In Ballistic Recovery Systems' 25-year history, BRS has sold over 20,000 onboard emergency parachute systems to aircraft owners around the world, including over 2,500 systems on certified aircraft like the Cirrus Design SR series. BRS units to date have been documented in saving 184 lives with 12 of them in Certified Aircraft.
For more information on BRS, contact: Larry E. Williams; BRS, Inc: Fleming Field, 300 Airport Road; South St. Paul, MN 5075; USA (
The forward looking matters discussed here should be considered subject to risks and uncertainties, including market fluctuations, pricing, procurement, manufacturing efficiencies, the results of litigation and other risks that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those projected. For more information, review the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly the Company's annual report on Form 10-KSB.
© 2006 PR Newswire
