This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
I was giving a refresher flight to the pilot who wanted to practice some touch and goes from the right seat in the Cessna 172.
The pilot has his Commercial Single Engine and Multi Engine Land certificate, Certified Flight Instructor certificate, and about 250 hours of flight time on the same make and model of the plane.
After we completed the flight and performed all of the shutdown checklists we decided to push the plane to the parking spot, which is located close to our hangar. It’s worth to note that the parking spot is on a small uphill.
I took the towbar and asked the student to push the plane by the wing strut. It turned out the towbar was broken (it was loose so I couldn’t attach it to the nose gear). I decided to go to the rear of the plane and steer it by pushing the tail down and moving it to the left/right.
Once we moved the plane to the spot I looked around to find a chock to put by the tire so the plane wouldn’t roll but there were no chocks available in the vicinity of the plane.
I still kept the tail to prevent the plane from rolling and asked the student to pull the parking brake so we could install the tie-downs.
After the few seconds I heard a huge “BANG” and the shock wave threw me away from the plane.
It turned out that the student activated the BRS parachute system in the plane.
It’s also worth saying that the handle for the BRS system is guarded and in RED color.
After I interviewed the student why he pulled that handle he responded that he didn’t know what it was, so he assumed that it had to be the parking brake.
Again, this student had flown this make and model multiple times before.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 1935549
Since the C172 is advertised as a four-seater but in reality is a three-seater (and probably 99% of the time, flown as a one- or two-seater) the BRS installed weight really has no impact on W&B or performance. Yeah it does have an impact on the checking account, but worth it IMHO. I know that’s a controversial opinion.
Ok, I am similarly confused: Totally never heard of a BRS in a 172? Now I know but I don’t feel smarter for knowing it. Not a fan of airplane parachutes but have never been in a situation that required it (a little over 2000 hrs in GA aircraft. Had time in aircraft that had ejection seats (never had to use them either). Too bad they haven’t figured out how to put rocket motors in thin aluminum GA planes 🫣
You would think an accomplished single/multi engine and CFI would know better than randomly pulling unknown “red” handles? Red generally means “watch-out” for what you’re about to do?
Thank you St. Joseph of Cupertino and Our Lady of Loreto!
Yeah
That would’ve been an item worth briefing the student on.
Seems the BRS would be a good briefing item during preflight by the instructor. Or at least to ask about during Walkaround inspection. Like “Duh, what’s that!”
Aren’t you supposed to arm those things before takeoff and disarm them after landing?
Seems the BRS would be a good briefing item during preflight by the instructor. Or at least to ask about during Walkaround inspection. Like “Duh, what’s that!”
Aren’t you supposed to arm those things before takeoff and disarm them after landing?
It was mentioned, all checklists were done. Looks like they were incomplete as “BRS – Secured’ is one of the first items in the ‘parking’ checklist.
The writer mentions pushing the tail down to turn the airplane. Pushing down on a 172’s horizontal stab will eventually crack the forward spar in it. That gets very expensive. Cessna has a service bulletin on it, SEB 94-8.
The cost to repack is gonna be some where in the neighborhood of $12k – $14k, Air frame damage, that could get astronomical.
I can see how this can happened. The red handle is mounted on the low console between the front seats. It is suppose to have a pin with a red label and the words “BRS remove before flight”. Since the plane is always being flown, one could just throw it away (what’s the worst that can happen).
Though I like the first warning in the installation manual, “Never point the BRS unit toward anyone—including you—at any time!
Treat the BRS unit as a loaded gun!”.
Please tell me there is a video or surveillance of this 😉
I had absolutely no idea that this modification even existed. I wonder whether or not it is really worth having and it would be interesting for me to read the accident reports for aircraft accidents in which it was deployed.
Did having the system lead people into flying when they should not have? Could off airport landings have been made?
I once had a 210 in which I made a weekly round trip over the mountains between HEF and YNG. This was year round often during the winter in harsh IMC. Since I didn’t have deice equipment there were times I made the 6 to 7 hour drive. There were times flying over the mountains while it was snowing where I would ask myself what on earth was I doing because for the portion of the trip while I was over the mountains, had I had an engine out, even though I always flew at a reasonably high altitude, there were spots where I very well would have had a difficult time setting it down… even in VMC.
I know this system is not available for a 210 but thinking about it, I am not sure if such a system would have helped me. I would have descended into the trees. Perhaps better to depend on good pre flights, piloting skills, and being able to say “no” to a trip because that little voice tells you the conditions are not right.
Cheaper to repair than pulling the red handle on Cirrus is about tge only good thing I can say. At least it wasn’t an ejection seat!
I would expect that the owner/operator would establish procedures that would insure that anyone who gets anywhere near this airplane (flight or ground crew) is properly informed and trained with which handle can be pulled and which one can’t.
Yup, the BRS system is available for Cessna 172 and 182….see,
https://brsaerospace.com/cessna/
It mounts in the baggage compartment and launches through a rear window.
The install pics are pretty clear on it.
FYI, it took 5 seconds for a google search.!
To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
It’s says aircraft Model wasn’t disclosed!
How about a squat switch so the chute can’t fire if there is weight on the landing gear? (Just like you – allegedly – can’t retract the gear if there is weight on it.)
A 172 with a BRS ? I’d like to have seen that conversion 🥴
Google it.
“After I interviewed the student why he pulled that handle”, i would imagine that interview went like “WTF did you do!”
A 172 with BRS??? I would think that would be so rare that the pilot being reviewed would have never encountered it before no matter how many hours he has in type.
Hmmm…..what does this handle do?
I wasn’t aware you could put a BRS system in a C172.
A ballistic parachute in a Cessna 172? The author doesn’t want to mention how incredibly rare that is? Maybe was worth mentioning to the student.
Hi Alex! Yes, it is incredible. Actually, BRS is the only Whole Aircraft Rescue Parachute System certified as a retrofit for Cessna 172s and Cessna 182s. You can check more about is on our website: https://brsaerospace.com/cessna/
This guy has 250 hours in the airplane. Is a CFI and has never received any training in the airplane. Clearly doesn’t understand the systems in his airplane. Gross Negligence & incompetence. Someone needs to find out WHO his instructor was. ASAP.
Don’t touch the red guarded switches, and never eat a crew meal in the dark.
So, a commercial, cfi pilot makes a big mistake, and will he have to pay the $4,500 to repack the chute. ?
An expensive lesson to not pull the red handle without reading the warning.!
Ha, repack the chute? There will be physical damage to the airframe. I’d guess that you are only 25% right.
We all by mistakes so it is good CRM