Ballistic Recovery Systems
Encyclopedia
Ballistic Recovery Systems (commonly BRS and BRS Aerospace) is a manufacturer of aircraft ballistic parachute
s (Pink Sheets
: BRSI).
The company was formed in 1980 by Boris Popov after he survived a 400 feet (121.9 m) fall in a partly collapsed hang glider
in 1975. As a result Popov invented a parachute system which would lower a whole light airplane
to the ground relatively safely for the people inside, though typically with moderate structural damage to the aircraft when it landed. It could be used in the event of loss of control, failure of the aircraft structure, or other in-flight emergencies.
.
In 1998 the company collaborated with Cirrus Design
to develop the first recovery parachute system to be used on a type certified
aircraft, the Cirrus SR20
. In 2002 the company received a supplemental type certificate
to install their parachute system in the Cessna 172
, followed by the Cessna 182
in 2004 and the Symphony SA-160
in 2006.
In response to the 2008 economic crisis and associated falling orders, the company announced in November 2008 that it would lay-off 25% of its workforce for an indefinite time period.
Components
A solid-fuel rocket is used to pull the parachute out from its housing and deploy the canopy fully within seconds. Typically on ultralight installations the rocket is mounted on the parachute container. On larger aircraft installations the rocket may be remotely mounted.
Over the years the BRS systems employed have been improved and updated and the current version is the BRS-6. This has a separate rocket installation that can be removed from the parachute so the parachute can be sent for re-packing without the problems of trying to ship the rocket as well. Typically the parachute requires repacking every six years and the rocket requires replacing every 12 years.
Rescues completed
The first ballistic recovery parachutes were on the market in 1982, and the first deployment was in 1983. Between then and April 2007, over 225 people were aboard 201 aircraft which deployed BRS parachutes; most of whose lives were presumably saved by those parachute deployments.
Aircraft supported
BRS Models are available for:
Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS)
The CAPS is a BRS system designed specifically for Cirrus Design
's line of general aviation aircraft including the SRV, SR20
and SR22
. As in other BRS systems a solid-fuel rocket, housed in the aft fuselage
, is used to pull the parachute out from its housing and deploy the canopy full within seconds. The goal of employing this system is the survival of the crew and passengers and not necessarily the prevention of damage to the airframe.
Since the landing gear and firewall are part of the structure designed to be crushed for energy absorption during impact after parachute deploy, Cirrus originally thought that the airframe would be damaged beyond repair on impact. But the first aircraft to deploy (N1223S) landed in mesquite
and was not badly damaged. Cirrus bought the airframe back, repaired it, and used it as a demo plane. It was eventually sold to another owner who destroyed it in a crash short of the runway. Several of the aircraft involved in CAPS deploys have been put back into service, with the exception of those that landed in the water.
Development
On 18 July 2008 BRS announced that its new 5000-series canopy had completed compliance testing to ASTM International
standards. This new parachute system is intended to provide a recovery capability for much larger aircraft, including very light jet
s. Initial applications may include the Diamond D-Jet
and Lancair Evolution
. FAA
certification is being pursued to allow installation on certified aircraft
.
CAPS deployments
As of January 30 2011, the CAPS has been activated 30 times with 50 survivors and 4 fatalities. Some additional deployments have been reported by accident investigators as caused by ground impact or post-impact fires, and some accidents are still under investigation.
Cessna 162
Ballistic parachute
A ballistic parachute, ballistic reserve parachute, or emergency ballistic reserve parachute is a parachute ejected from the casing via a small explosion*, much like that used in an ejection seat. *Also there are slug fired systems, mortar fired systems, , & A.I.R. rocket systems...
s (Pink Sheets
Pink Sheets
OTC Markets Group, Inc., informally known as "Pink Sheets", is a private company that provides services to the U.S. over-the-counter securities market including electronic quotations, trading, messaging, and information platforms. According to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, OTC...
: BRSI).
The company was formed in 1980 by Boris Popov after he survived a 400 feet (121.9 m) fall in a partly collapsed hang glider
Hang gliding
Hang gliding is an air sport in which a pilot flies a light and unmotorized foot-launchable aircraft called a hang glider ....
in 1975. As a result Popov invented a parachute system which would lower a whole light airplane
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
to the ground relatively safely for the people inside, though typically with moderate structural damage to the aircraft when it landed. It could be used in the event of loss of control, failure of the aircraft structure, or other in-flight emergencies.
History
BRS was founded in 1980 and introduced its first parachute model two years later in 1982, focussing on the ultralight aircraft market. The company recorded its first save in 1983, Jay Tipton of ColoradoColorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
In 1998 the company collaborated with Cirrus Design
Cirrus Design
The Cirrus Aircraft Corporation is an aircraft manufacturer that was founded in 1984 by Alan and Dale Klapmeier to produce the VK-30 kit aircraft....
to develop the first recovery parachute system to be used on a type certified
Type certificate
A Type Certificate, is awarded by aviation regulating bodies to aerospace manufacturers after it has been established that the particular design of a civil aircraft, engine, or propeller has fulfilled the regulating bodies' current prevailing airworthiness requirements for the safe conduct of...
aircraft, the Cirrus SR20
Cirrus SR20
The Cirrus Design SR20 is a piston engine composite monoplane that seats four. The SR20 is noted for being the first production general aviation aircraft equipped with a parachute designed to lower the aircraft safely to the ground after loss of control or structural failure.-Design and...
. In 2002 the company received a supplemental type certificate
Supplemental Type Certificate
A Supplemental Type Certificate is an FAA approved major modification or repair to an existing type certified aircraft, engine or propeller. As it adds to the existing type certificate, it is deemed 'supplemental'.-Purpose:...
to install their parachute system in the Cessna 172
Cessna 172
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing fixed-wing aircraft. First flown in 1955 and still in production, more Cessna 172s have been built than any other aircraft.-Design and development:...
, followed by the Cessna 182
Cessna 182
The Cessna 182 Skylane is an American four-seat, single-engine, light airplane, built by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. It has the option of adding two child seats, installed in the baggage area....
in 2004 and the Symphony SA-160
Symphony SA-160
-Similar aircraft:* Alpha 2000 * Cessna 150* Cessna 152* Cessna 172* Diamond DA20* Liberty XL2-References:* * * * * * -External links:* *...
in 2006.
In response to the 2008 economic crisis and associated falling orders, the company announced in November 2008 that it would lay-off 25% of its workforce for an indefinite time period.
Ballistic rescue parachutes
A solid-fuel rocket is used to pull the parachute out from its housing and deploy the canopy fully within seconds. Typically on ultralight installations the rocket is mounted on the parachute container. On larger aircraft installations the rocket may be remotely mounted.
Over the years the BRS systems employed have been improved and updated and the current version is the BRS-6. This has a separate rocket installation that can be removed from the parachute so the parachute can be sent for re-packing without the problems of trying to ship the rocket as well. Typically the parachute requires repacking every six years and the rocket requires replacing every 12 years.
Rescues completed
The first ballistic recovery parachutes were on the market in 1982, and the first deployment was in 1983. Between then and April 2007, over 225 people were aboard 201 aircraft which deployed BRS parachutes; most of whose lives were presumably saved by those parachute deployments.
Aircraft supported
BRS Models are available for:
- The whole line of Cirrus DesignCirrus DesignThe Cirrus Aircraft Corporation is an aircraft manufacturer that was founded in 1984 by Alan and Dale Klapmeier to produce the VK-30 kit aircraft....
general aviationGeneral aviationGeneral aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
aircraft. The Cirrus BRS models are known as the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System. - Cessna 172Cessna 172The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing fixed-wing aircraft. First flown in 1955 and still in production, more Cessna 172s have been built than any other aircraft.-Design and development:...
, Cessna 182Cessna 182The Cessna 182 Skylane is an American four-seat, single-engine, light airplane, built by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. It has the option of adding two child seats, installed in the baggage area....
, Cessna 162 - Symphony SA-160Symphony SA-160-Similar aircraft:* Alpha 2000 * Cessna 150* Cessna 152* Cessna 172* Diamond DA20* Liberty XL2-References:* * * * * * -External links:* *...
- Non-certified airplanes up to 1,800 lb weight
- A wide variety of non-certified Ultralight aircraftUltralight aviationThe term "ultralight aviation" refers to light-weight, 1- or 2-person airplanes., also called microlight aircraft in the UK, India and New Zealand...
- A wide variety of Light Sport Aircraft (LSA). BRS is standard equipment on the following approved LSAs:
- AMD ZodiacAMD ZodiacThe Zodiac is a family of Canadian all-metal, two-seat, fixed landing gear airplanes that first flew in 1984. The aircraft have been produced as kits and completed aircraft by Zenair in Canada and Zenith Aircraft Company in the USA....
- Aeroprakt A-22 FPNA
- Apollo Fox
- Apollo Delta Jet (Trike)
- CZAW SportCruiserCZAW SportCruiserThe CZAW SportCruiser is a two seat, single engine, tricycle undercarriage, fixed-wing aircraft that was introduced in 2006 by Czech Aircraft Works , now named Czech Sport Aircraft...
- Eurofox
- FK-9
- Flight Design CTSWFlight Design CTSWThe Flight Design CT series is a family of high-wing, tricycle undercarriage, two seat ultralight and light-sport aircraft produced by Flight Design of Germany...
series - P&M Aviation Quik Trike
- P&M Aviation Quik GT450 Trike
- AMD Zodiac
Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS)
The CAPS is a BRS system designed specifically for Cirrus Design
Cirrus Design
The Cirrus Aircraft Corporation is an aircraft manufacturer that was founded in 1984 by Alan and Dale Klapmeier to produce the VK-30 kit aircraft....
's line of general aviation aircraft including the SRV, SR20
Cirrus SR20
The Cirrus Design SR20 is a piston engine composite monoplane that seats four. The SR20 is noted for being the first production general aviation aircraft equipped with a parachute designed to lower the aircraft safely to the ground after loss of control or structural failure.-Design and...
and SR22
Cirrus SR22
The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine, four-seat, composite aircraft, built by Cirrus Aircraft starting in 2001. It is a more powerful version of the Cirrus SR20, with a larger wing, higher fuel capacity, and a 310 horsepower engine...
. As in other BRS systems a solid-fuel rocket, housed in the aft fuselage
Fuselage
The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage which in turn is used as a floating hull...
, is used to pull the parachute out from its housing and deploy the canopy full within seconds. The goal of employing this system is the survival of the crew and passengers and not necessarily the prevention of damage to the airframe.
Since the landing gear and firewall are part of the structure designed to be crushed for energy absorption during impact after parachute deploy, Cirrus originally thought that the airframe would be damaged beyond repair on impact. But the first aircraft to deploy (N1223S) landed in mesquite
Mesquite
Mesquite is a leguminous plant of the Prosopis genus found in northern Mexico through the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Deserts, and up into the Southwestern United States as far north as southern Kansas, west to the Colorado Desert in California,and east to the eastern fifth of Texas, where...
and was not badly damaged. Cirrus bought the airframe back, repaired it, and used it as a demo plane. It was eventually sold to another owner who destroyed it in a crash short of the runway. Several of the aircraft involved in CAPS deploys have been put back into service, with the exception of those that landed in the water.
Development
On 18 July 2008 BRS announced that its new 5000-series canopy had completed compliance testing to ASTM International
ASTM International
ASTM International, known until 2001 as the American Society for Testing and Materials , is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services...
standards. This new parachute system is intended to provide a recovery capability for much larger aircraft, including very light jet
Very Light Jet
A very light jet, entry-level jet or personal jet, previously known as a microjet, is a category of small jet aircraft approved for single-pilot operation, seating 4-8 people, with a maximum take-off weight of under...
s. Initial applications may include the Diamond D-Jet
Diamond D-Jet
The Diamond D-JET is a composite, five-seat, single-engine jet aircraft produced by Diamond Aircraft Industries. The aircraft is undergoing flight testing...
and Lancair Evolution
Lancair Evolution
-External links:****...
. FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
certification is being pursued to allow installation on certified aircraft
Type certificate
A Type Certificate, is awarded by aviation regulating bodies to aerospace manufacturers after it has been established that the particular design of a civil aircraft, engine, or propeller has fulfilled the regulating bodies' current prevailing airworthiness requirements for the safe conduct of...
.
CAPS deployments
As of January 30 2011, the CAPS has been activated 30 times with 50 survivors and 4 fatalities. Some additional deployments have been reported by accident investigators as caused by ground impact or post-impact fires, and some accidents are still under investigation.
- October 2002, Texas, United States: detached aileron
- April 2004, British Columbia, Canada: loss of control in turbulence, 4 uninjured
- April 2004, Florida, United States: instrument failure in IFR conditions, 1 uninjured
- September 2004, California, United States: loss of control in high-altitude climb above clouds, 2 uninjured
- February 2005, California, United States: parachute deployed above design limits, pilot fatality (unknown if intentionally activated)
- June 2005, New York, United States: pilot incapacitated from undiagnosed brain tumor, 1 injured
- January 2006, Alabama, United States: loss of control after pilot flew into icing, 3 uninjured
- February 2006, South Dakota, United States: pilot reported disorientation, 2 uninjured
- August 2006, Indiana, United States: parachute deployed three miles from departure end of runway, aircraft landed in a retention pondRetention basinA retention basin is used to manage stormwater runoff to prevent flooding and downstream erosion, and improve water quality in an adjacent river, stream, lake or bay. Sometimes called a wet pond or wet detention basin, it is an artificial lake with vegetation around the perimeter, and includes a...
, the parachute was deployed by a passenger, pilot fatality, 3 passengers injured - September 2006, Jamaica: pilot activated parachute under unknown circumstances, 4 uninjured
- February 2007, New South Wales, Australia: Fuel line pressure sensor connection cap separated and loss of pressure stopped the engine. After an approach to a freeway forced landing, CAPS was activated, the rocket fired, but got tangled with the empennage resulting in parachute undeployment. 2 injured
- April 2007, New Mexico, United States: pilot experienced spatial disorientation following loss of the airspeed indicator. After the terrain warning went off, CAPS was activated and the plane came to rest in a forested area. 1 uninjured
- August 2007, Massachusetts, United States: pilot experienced spatial disorientation during approach, deployed parachute, which tangled with a LORAN tower and caused the aircraft to impact the ground. 2 seriously injured
- October 2008, San Sebastian, Spain: pilot reported severe turbulence and loss of control on approach, 3 uninjured
- November 2008, TurriacoTurriacoTurriaco is a town and comune in the province of Gorizia near the Isonzo river.Its name comes from the ancient latin name "Turris Aquae", the tower of the water....
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
: fuel exhaustion, activated parachute at low altitude, landed in trees. 1 injured, 3 uninjured - December 2008, GouvyGouvyGouvy is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg.On 1 January 2007 the municipality, which covers 165.11 km², had 4,780 inhabitants, giving a population density of 29 inhabitants per km²....
, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
: pilot reported icing, requested lower altitude but lost control, activated parachute, landed in trees. 1 uninjured - December 2008, Louisiana, United States: pilot reported mechanical difficulties at night, activated parachute, landed in a canal. 1 uninjured
- February 2009, Florida, United States: plane observed at low altitude, perhaps in a stall/spin attitude, parachute deployed. 2 fatalities
- March 2009, Maryland, United States: pilot reported mechanical difficulties, was losing altitude in IMCInstrument meteorological conditionsInstrument meteorological conditions is an aviation flight category that describes weather conditions that require pilots to fly primarily by reference to instruments, and therefore under Instrument Flight Rules , rather than by outside visual references under Visual Flight Rules . Typically, this...
, activated the parachute and landed in a residential street. 1 uninjured - June 2009, North Carolina, United States: pilot reported loud noise and vibrations with oil spewing onto windshield at 6,000 feet. Activated parachute and landed in a forest. 1 uninjured
- December 2009, Queensland, Australia: pilot reported loss of engine power during departure from Hamilton Island Airport and activated parachute over ocean. 1 injured.
- February 2010, Colorado, United States: Mid-air collision between a Cirrus SR20Cirrus SR20The Cirrus Design SR20 is a piston engine composite monoplane that seats four. The SR20 is noted for being the first production general aviation aircraft equipped with a parachute designed to lower the aircraft safely to the ground after loss of control or structural failure.-Design and...
with two aboard and a Piper PA-25 Pawnee with a single pilot aboard towing a Schweizer SGS 2-32Schweizer SGS 2-32The Schweizer SGS 2-32 is an American two-seat, mid-wing, two or three-place glider built by Schweizer Aircraft of Elmira, New York.The 2-32 was designed to be the highest performance two-place glider available, when it first flew in 1962. The 2-32 has been used as a tourist glider, trainer,...
glider carrying three. The CAPS system deployed and the wreckage (shown on video involved in flames) floated to the ground. The pilot and passenger on board the Cirrus and the pilot of the Piper were all killed. The glider made a safe landing intact with all passengers uninjured. 3 fatalities. - May 2010, Vest-AgderVest-AgderIn the 16th century, Dutch merchant vessels began to visit ports in southern Norway to purchase salmon and other goods. Soon thereafter the export of timber began, as oak from southern Norway was exceptionally well suited for shipbuilding...
, Norway: A Cirrus SRV aircraft experienced unspecified problems in flight and the CAPS was deployed. 4 uninjured.
Cessna 162
- September 2008, Doublass, Kansas, United States: A non-conforming prototype Cessna 162, registered N162XP, crashed on 18 September 2008, in a treeline. The test pilot parachuted to safety and suffered only minor injuries. The aircraft was equipped with a Ballistic Recovery Systems parachute, but it failed to deploy when activated.