Phillies pitcher Cory Lidle checks out a plane the new pilot will take to the skies.
(Photo: Randy Miller/phillyBurbs.com)
Posted on 10/11/2006 1:53:43 PM PDT by robomurph
NY TV reporting the aircraft involved was
"Speculation" is that it was owned or in the process of being bought by NY Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle.
Bragelina own one as well i think
Phillies pitcher Cory Lidle checks out a plane the new pilot will take to the skies.
(Photo: Randy Miller/phillyBurbs.com)
Reports now say he was the pilot.
Strange that there is no current owner listed, even the manufacturer.
If so, the pilot may have made a grave error. The SR20 incorporates an airframe parachute - i.e., if the engine conks out or some other failure occurs, you simply deploy the parachute and the plane floats down under the canopy (as opposed to becoming a lawn dart).
Litle:
as per FNC
pilot's license 7 months ago.
came out of Teeterboro airport
Cirrus aircraft were on static display plus a flight demonstration was given at Fleet Week in San Francisco last Sat & Sun.
crashing into buildings voids the parachute warranty
True, but it doesn't sound like he even deployed the parachute. Otherwise, people would have reported that.
Wasn't the plane too low to use an airframe parachute?
Yep he was the pilot and as far as they can tell he was the only one on board.
Too low for the parachute or whatever to be used, according to CNN.
"In terms of avoiding an accident, one problem with the Cirrus is its unforgiving handling compared to other basic four-seaters. The plane is harder to keep level with rudders in a stall than a Cessna or Diamond; if in a deep uncoordinated stall, the Cirrus wants to drop a wing and go into a spin. Thanks to a "split-airfoil" wing design, in which the inner portion of the wing has a higher angle of attack than the outer portion, the Cirrus gives more of a stall buffet warning than many airplanes. The outer portion of the wings, which are in front of the ailerons, are still flying and permitting the pilot to control roll with the yoke, even as the inner sections of the wings may be stalled and creating a warning buffet. This illustrates one of the advantages of composite construction; you could build a metal wing like this, but it would be very costly. For pilots accustomed to learning about an impending stall by feeling reduced airloads on the flight controls, the Cirrus provides much less stall warning. This is due to spring cartridges that continue to resist flight control movement even when the airplane is not moving. In other words, the flight controls feel similar whether you're flying or stalled.'
http://philip.greenspun.com/flying/cirrus-sr20
I don't think so, last I looked they had a 1000' min alt. Wasn't this guy at about 1000-1500 when he started having problems? According to the maker, 920' is the minimum demonstrated altitude for deploying the parachute, and pilots are urged to use the system in case of disaster, engine failure, airframe failure, spins, or loss of control without waiting to try something else.
This sounds like it was controlled flight into the building. He probably got disoriented while trying to fly up the river in marginal visibility and ended up with the building in his way with no time to react... especially as a new pilot.
Inexperienced pilot, a new plane that's apparently a little squirrelly, and panic. Put those three together, and I doubt that it even dawned on him, to deploy that parachute.
Darned if I would deploy that chute for spin recovery.
See post #14. An experienced pilot, who owns a Cirrus SR20, describes how the plane reacts to a deep stall ... dips a wing, and goes into a spin. Combine this with confused descriptions of "aerobatic loops" and dropping a wing reported by witnesses. The two do sound rather similar, one from a pilot's perspective, and a layman's description from the ground.
Apparently the Cirrus SR20 is all but unrecoverable in a spin - it's possible, but you have to be very, very, very good and waiting for the spin to happen.
Since the plane has the airframe parachute system, the FAA let them use it for certification.
Me, I'd follow Cirrus' instructions and pull the BIG RED HANDLE.
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