44565
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Parachute saves plane occupants in Northern California crash
URL: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/northern-california-plane-crash-parachute-18930013.php
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Parachute saves plane occupants in Northern California crash By Amy Graff March 12, 2024 A small aircraft went down in Whitethorn at the Mendocino-Humboldt County line March 11, 2024. Shelter Cove Fire Department Three people, including a 2-year-old, survived a crash in a small plane flying over Northern California on Friday when the aircraft’s built-in parachute was deployed, officials said. There were no other occupants on the plane, according to a news release from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. An image shared on Instagram by the Shelter Cove Fire Department showed the plane floating from a red-and-white parachute over a thick canopy of evergreens in Mendocino County. The plane went down when its engine lost power about 5 minutes after takeoff, the sheriff’s office said. The pilot quickly realized the plane was too low in the air for a recovery and activated what’s known as the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, the sheriff’s office said the investigation found. The parachute slowed the plane’s descent and the aircraft fell into mountainous forestland near Yellow Road in Whitethorn, an unincorporated area about 80 miles south of Eureka. The airplane’s three occupants — the child as well as a 38-year-old man and 38-year-old woman, all from Santa Rosa — survived with only “minor cuts and scratches,” the sheriff’s office said. The sheriff’s office was dispatched to the scene of the crash at 1:15 p.m.; multiple other agencies assisted. |
44573
From: The Hierophant, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Parachute saves plane occupants in Northern California crash
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Were we live, we have a large swath of agricultural land near us, where small planes (especially single prop) take their students to practice (thereby if one goes down, it is in a field instead of homes - and, which there have been a few occasions of going down in the fields). They practice a lot of stalls and restarts. I always worry, though, that they might not be able to restart, and a parachute would certainly mitigate a serious crash. Should be installed in all of these smaller planes. |
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[44578]
44578
From: Redhart, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Parachute saves plane occupants in Northern California crash
| agreed! Excellent idea for small aircraft. |
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