Fighter Sweep
  • Home
  • Military Aviation
  • Air Force
  • Navy
  • Spec Ops
  • Expert Analysis
  • Careers
  • Photos
Home Previous Post Next Post
Follow @fightersweep

In the News: Cirrus SR-22 Ditches Near Hawaii

Scott Wolff No Comments News

The pilot of a Cirrus SR-22 was rescued on Sunday after he was forced to ditch his aircraft approximately two hundred fifty miles from the Hawaiian Islands. The pilot was traveling from Tracy, California and radioed for help at 12:30 PM local time because of a critical fuel state.

The type normally has a maximum range of 1,200 miles, but this particular aircraft was equipped with an auxiliary fuel system to extend its range enough to reach Hawaii, according to the NTSB.

The Coast Guard scrambled a fixed-wing aircraft as well as a helicopter into the area, and also directed the pilot of the stricken aircraft into an area along the travel path of a nearby cruise ship. At approximately 4:45 PM, the pilot correctly deployed the CAPS, or Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, a feature designed to lower the aircraft and its occupants safely to the ground in the event of mechanical problems, pilot incapacitation, or any other life-threatening event where the aircraft is no longer flyable.

Once the aircraft settled into the water, the pilot was able to evacuate from the aircraft before it sank and safely got into a life raft. Amid 9- to 12-foot seas and winds of 25 to 28 mph, the crew of the cruise ship Veendam successfully rescued the pilot, who was in good condition, the Coast Guard said.

According to Cirrus Aircraft, the CAPS has been deployed in 51 incidents, and are responsible for saving a total of 104 lives, including the pilot in Sunday’s crash.

The pilot, an agent of Cirrus Aircraft, was on his way to Australia to deliver the aircraft to an owner.

(Featured Photo Courtesy of Cirrus Aircraft)

About the Author

Scott Wolff is an accomplished writer and renowned aviation photojournalist. He has held the position of Managing Editor for a print flying lifestyle magazine, and is the Host and Editor for FighterSweep. Scott's area of expertise is military flight operations, drawing on ten years of experience working extensively with all branches of the armed forces. He holds an FAA pilot certificate, the culmination of a life-long passion for flying airplanes. Scott has received military altitude chamber training, emergency egress training, and has logged time in a variety of civilian and military aircraft. He is also a member of the International Society of Aviation Photographers and Nikon Professional Services.

Related Posts

  • Picture of the Day: AH-64D Apache Helicopter Escapes a Wall of FirePicture of the Day: AH-64D Apache Helicopter Escapes a Wall of Fire
  • Looking for the Enemy! The Air Force Goes Shopping for ‘Hired Guns’Looking for the Enemy! The Air Force Goes Shopping for ‘Hired Guns’
  • USAF Pilot Retention: Throwing Money at ProblemsUSAF Pilot Retention: Throwing Money at Problems
  • Picture of the Day! US Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion Lifts Concrete Barrier in DjiboutiPicture of the Day! US Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion Lifts Concrete Barrier in Djibouti
  • Watch: U.S. Air Force HH-60 Pave Hawk Helicopter Crashes in Iraq – Seven DieWatch: U.S. Air Force HH-60 Pave Hawk Helicopter Crashes in Iraq – Seven Die

Find Us on Facebook

FighterSweep.com

Sign Up
for the Newsletter

What’s Hot

  • blue-angels-reporter-blacks-out-passes-out
    December 5, 2017

    Watch: News Reporter Blacks Out on Ride with US Navy Blue Angels

  • Afghan_Air_Force_Embraer_A-29_Super_Tucano_(YA-1407)
    March 8, 2017

    A-29 Super Tucano Crashes Outside Moody Air Force Base Both Pilots Eject Safely

  • Whistling Death: How The Corsair Got Its Nickname
    August 30, 2019

    Whistling Death: How the Corsair got its nickname

Follow Us

Facebook Twitter Twitter

Recent Comments

  • Lars Dirch Sørensen This didn't age well.
  • Speir Mor Media Amazing history and pride in the old B-52! And that’s one hell of a range. [...]
  • disqus_lkVjMrnsGt As an 8th grader in 1960 I first became acquainted with the 1952 Washington [...]
  • SWS Irrational fears and misinformation is not a reason to get a waiver from a [...]

© Copyright 2022 SOFREP Media Group. All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertisers