A 29-year-old pilot in Brazil survived a terrifying emergency after his Cirrus SR22 lost engine power, caught fire in mid-air and was brought safely toward the ground beneath a parachute designed to lower the ENTIRE aircraft.
The pilot, Gustavo Monteiro Couto, activated the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) after flames began spreading through the aircraft while he was flying over Minas Gerais.
The aircraft had taken off from Belo Horizonte for a routine maintenance flight when the emergency unfolded roughly 15 minutes into the journey.
Couto steered away from populated areas before deploying the ballistic parachute. The aircraft descended beneath the large red-and-white canopy and eventually reached the ground in a rural area south of Serra Azul.
The impact triggered a major fire and the aircraft was nearly destroyed, but Couto managed to escape. He was treated for smoke inhalation and was not seriously injured.
Witnesses captured dramatic footage of the aircraft descending beneath its parachute with black smoke trailing behind it.
Brazil’s CENIPA is investigating the cause of the engine failure and subsequent fire.
The incident highlights one of the most unusual emergency systems in general aviation: instead of abandoning the airplane, the pilot can deploy a parachute that brings the entire aircraft down with him.
