At first glance, this week’s crash of Cirrus N89423 at Truckee looks like yet another “high density altitude” accident. Such accidents are, after all, perhaps the most common type of accident at Truckee airport. Due to the thin air, the aircraft cannot climb fast enough to clear rising terrain or to maintain altitude
Cirrus Aircraft
Cirrus Burns After Crashing at Bolingbrook
The Cirrus SR20 burst into flames on impact. The pilot’s wife died inside. The pilot escaped from the wreckage, but died from his burn injuries in the hospital.
Some say that a properly designed aircraft should not catch fire in an otherwise survivable accident. We know this crash was survivable, because the pilot was…
Jury Verdict for Cirrus and Against Lidle and Stanger Families Affirmed on Appeal
The plaintiffs’ attorney in the Lidle case told the press that, once the judge ruled that certain key evidence would be kept out of trial, a defense verdict was a foregone conclusion.
The plaintiffs wanted to tell the jury about an incident where, according to a Cirrus flight instructor, a Cirrus’ controls locked up…
Cirrus Crash at Falmouth: Survivable But Aircraft Burns
The Cirrus SR22 crashed while landing at Falmouth Airpark in Massachusetts and immediately exploded in a fireball. One occupant died. Two others, however, survived, only to be badly burned in the post-crash fire.
Some say that, if properly designed, an aircraft should not burn as a result of an otherwise survivable impact. Technology that prevents…
Minnesota Supreme Court Rules That Cirrus Not Liable for Failure To Train
The Minnesota Supreme Court has now spoken, bringing to an end the litigation against Cirrus for its alleged failure to train pilot Gary Prokop.
Prokop flew his new Cirrus SR22 into conditions of poor visibility and crashed, killing himself and his passenger. The passenger’s family sued Cirrus, as will as Prokop’s estate, claiming that Cirrus…
Cirrus Crash at Scottsdale Raises Questions About Fuel System Design Safety
Some say that Cirrus aircraft are improperly designed because they tend to catch fire on impact more frequently than other aircraft, such as those manufactured by Cirrus competitors, like Diamond or Cessna. And there are plenty of examples of post-crash Cirrus fires to talk about. Critics argue that those fires prove that the aircraft is unduly dangerous…
Prokop v. Cirrus Heads to Minnesota Supreme Court
A pilot crashed his new Cirrus, killing himself and his passenger. According to the families, Cirrus didn’t train the pilot on the use of the plane’s autopilot when he showed up at the factory to pick up his new aircraft, and that contributed to the crash. The details are here.
The jury agreed with the…
Lidle Judge Keeps Evidence Out; Jury Rules for Cirrus
The lawyer representing Lidle’s widow told the Associated Press that today’s verdict for Cirrus was a foregone conclusion once the judge decided to keep out certain key evidence.
. . .the jury result was predictable because the judge refused to allow jurors to hear that the company revised its manufacturing process after the crash to
…
Lidle Jury Won’t Learn of NTSB’s Conclusion as to Cause of Crash
The Lidle jury will never learn that the NTSB concluded the crash was caused by pilot error, and not a defect in the plane, as plaintiffs allege.
The reason is that, by federal statute (49 USC 1441(e)), the NTSB’s conclusions are inadmissible in court.
No part of any report or reports of
…
Jury Verdict Against Cirrus Overturned on Appeal
A pilot flew his new Cirrus into conditions of poor visibility and crashed, killing himself and his passenger. The passenger’s family sued not just the pilot, but Cirrus as well.
Why sue Cirrus? According to the family, Cirrus didn’t train the pilot properly when he showed up at the factory to pick up his new plane, and…