SAFETY ALERT

To: All Pilots Who Fly Cirrus Aircraft

From: Cirrus Aircraft & Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association (COPA)

Date: August 12, 2010

Re: Safety Stand-Down and Safe Flight Practices

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Dear Fellow Cirrus Pilot,

An important part of our relationship with you is meaningful communication, especially around issues that are important to the entire Cirrus community. Several recent accidents involving Cirrus aircraft highlight the need for us to focus our collective attention on safe flight practices, particularly during the landing and go-around phases. Both Cirrus Aircraft and COPA urge you to carefully review this safety alert as well as the following suggestions:

First, we are asking each of you to review the basic information on how to manage your aircraft in all phases of flight. Please re-read your Pilot's Operating Handbook, Section 2, Limitations, Section 3 Emergency Procedures, and Section 4, Normal Procedures. Also, review Section 3, Standard Operating Procedures, of the Flight Operations Manual. Look for expanded guidance on normal operating procedures with special attention to approach stability, traffic patterns, landing procedures and go-around. Copies of these books are available online at the COPA website and through the Cirrus Connection store.

Second, we are requesting each and every one of you to conduct a currency flight. All company pilots for Cirrus Aircraft follow a structured safety program (in sales, training, and flight operations) – and our safety record shows that it works. We are requesting that all Cirrus pilots conduct a currency flight with a qualified Cirrus Training Center (CTC) or Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot (CSIP), regardless of your total PIC time, time-in- type, or years of successful flight. This is the best way for all pilots to identify and correct bad habits that may have slipped into our routines over time.

A specific syllabus for this recurrent training has been given to every CTC and CSIP. The 1.0 to 1.5 flight hours that you commit to this training event should improve your airspeed control, touchdown accuracy, approach stability, and most importantly, the overall safety of every flight. The training will also help develop your proficiency and comfort level with go-around and power off landings.

The recent incidents that prompted this Safety Alert have been discussed in various forums, including COPA, and many of the comments have focused upon improper landing speeds. Airspeed control is an important element of establishing a stabilized approach to land, which in turn plays a key role in the safety and quality of any landing. Therefore, it is critical that you understand the energy management of your aircraft to assure the proper speeds are used throughout the traffic pattern to achieve a safe and comfortable landing for you and your passengers.

Excerpts from the Flight Operations Manual describe the procedures and the speeds for normal landings can be found at the end of this email. Please take the time to review these procedures prior to your next Cirrus flight. Copies of the complete Flight Operations Manual are available online at the COPA website and through the Cirrus Connection store.
Further to this effort, we want to stress the importance of establishing a long-term commitment to maintaining safe flying habits. Both Cirrus Aircraft and COPA encourage a semi-annual program of recurrent training with a CTC or CSIP.

We also encourage you to attend a Cirrus Pilot Proficiency Program (CPPP) weekend event, held both in the US and Europe, to learn a wealth of Cirrus-specific knowledge and fly with some of the most experienced Cirrus instructors in the world. These events are centered around this very concept of staying proficient and avoiding the traps of complacency. Several CPPP events are currently scheduled (click for details):

Baden-Baden, Germany, Sep 10-12, 2010

Minneapolis, MN, USA, Sep 24-26, 2010

Southend-Westcliff, UK, Oct 8-10, 2010

Van Nuys, CA, USA, Oct 8-10, 2010

New events for 2011 will appear shortly. Visit http://www.cirruspilots.org for more information.

If you know other Cirrus pilots in your area, we strongly encourage you to pass this important message on to them to participate in this important currency effort.

Safety is the highest priority at Cirrus and COPA, but safety is up to all of us. Let’s get out and enjoy flying while raising the safety bar even higher.




Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association     http://www.cirruspilots.org
2830 North Rancho Drive, Suite B Las Vegas, NV 89130 Office: (702) 920-2108



The following excerpts from the Cirrus Flight Operations Manual describe the procedures for normal landings.

VFR Stabilized Approach

A VFR approach is considered stabilized when all of the following criteria are achieved by 500' AGL:

Proper airspeed,
Correct flight path,
Correct aircraft configuration for phase of flight,
Appropriate power setting for aircraft configuration,
Normal angle and rate of descent,
Only minor corrections are required to correct deviations.
A go-around must be executed if the above conditions are not met and the aircraft is not stabilized by 500' AGL.

Traffic Pattern Description and Approximate Power Settings

Slow the aircraft early enough to allow for an easy transition into the traffic flow and enough time to ensure the aircraft is configured for landing. The following profile describes a normal traffic pattern. Pilots should use this profile as a guide when entering the traffic pattern on the downwind leg and modify as appropriate for base entry or straight in approaches. Bank angle should be limited to 30° in the traffic pattern.


Normal Landings

Normal landings should be made with 100% flaps. Final approach speeds should be adjusted to account for gusts exceeding 10 KTS by adding half of the gust factor. Reduce power smoothly and begin slowing from the final approach speed at a time that allows an easy transition from final descent to round out and flare with minimum floating or ballooning. Touch downs should be made on the main wheels first at speeds slightly above stall. Gently lower the nose wheel after the mains are on the ground.
Go-Around

A go-around should be executed anytime an approach does not meet the stabilized approach criteria outlined in this manual for instrument or visual conditions. A go-around should be completed from memory since it is a time critical maneuver.

In addition to the stabilized approach criteria, execute a go-around/missed approach for these conditions:

Excessive ballooning during round out or flare,
Excessive bouncing or porpoising,
Landing beyond 1st third of the runway,
Any condition when a safe landing is in question.
The first priority of executing a go-around is to stop the aircraft’s descent. Smoothly and promptly apply full power while simultaneously leveling the wings and pitching the aircraft to stop the descent. Maintain coordination while adding power by applying rudder pressure. Retract the flaps to 50%. Do not fully retract the flaps at this point in the go around because it may lead to excessive altitude loss.

Begin pitching for a climb attitude once the aircraft's descent rate has been stopped. Pitch for VX if obstacle clearance is an issue. Pitch for VY for all other situations. Retract flaps to 0% once the aircraft is climbing, and clear of obstacles, and at 85kts (SR20), 80kts (SR22).


This email communication was sent by:
Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association
2830 North Rancho Dr. Ste B
Las Vegas, NV 89130

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Safety stand down? Interesting. COPA seems a bit unnerved panicked sending this out. Their memo is describing and teaching basic pilot skills.

Are Cirri particularly challenging to fly, or specifically land? Is that phase of flight a particular problem for them?

I wonder about the average hours/experience of a typical Cirrus pilot vs that of say a Cessna, Piper or Beech pilot. Did their marketing efforts bring in new folks ( a laudable goal) into aviation and put them into a HP aircraft that is not particularly forgiving of ham-fistedness?

Are they inferring their pilots are lacking in basic airmanship that they have to give ground instruction via memo?

Interestingly, while getting loaded and ready to depart from the MBS fly-in Monday afternoon in St. Ignace, a Cirrus landed pretty hot on runway 25 with an 8 knot tailwind.

He never called unicom nor made a traffic advisory.

A/C is slick has only flaps to control a/s and is difficult to slow down...more so than Bonanza's or Barons.
Recent fatal accidents have seen the a/c touch down too fast, bounce on nose, prop strikes on runway about 2 to 3 times (PIO) then attempt to finish the failed landing (N.Carolina..into trees on side of runway) pilot fatal or take back off (Camden NJ) stall, crash 3 fatal.

This voluntary standdown is a good attempt at safety review by the entire ownership fleet.
It might help.

Kent Ewing

Why is Cirrus calling this a "Stand-down"? The memo calls for a Cirrus specific flight review but says nothing about not flying which is what I thought the term "stand-down" meant. This seems more like a "Stand-UP" to me.

I think the aircraft is a very good design - except for the prop clearance.

The problem is more with the pilots - the design attracts a lot of low-time-but-with-means pilots.

Yeah, that's what I immediately thought of also, Lance.

A "stand down" is a relaxation of readiness or a suspension of a current practice.

Is this a stand down from bad landing practices?

Odd.

Regardless of the choice of words, the interesting parts to me include the recognition by this organization that a safety problem exists, and their concerted efforts to address it.

The Cirrus is a great airplane, but it is slippery, and it is less forgiving of missing target speeds than some other types.

Ok, let's pretend I'm about to by a Cirrus...Wife: Honey, are you sure a plastic plane is safe...Husband: Absolutely, it is state of the art...Wife: Then why does it have air bags and a parachute?...Husband: That just shows how saftey conscious they are...Wife: What is this new "Stand Down" bulletin? Husband: Ummm, let's go look at some Beechcrafts I heard they are easy to land.

As pointed out above, the interesting thing about the "request" is that they want their pilots to practice basic skills with a CFI and they want everyone to do it. I applaud them for having the guts to recognize a problem and issue the request. However, this has to have an impact on prospective buyers.

When flown by the numbers, the Cirrus is a pleasure to fly and land but your airspeed on final is critical. It is difficult to force it on to the runway with excessive airspeed. Could it be that some of the problems may now be occuring from 2nd or 3rd owners that have not devoted as much time to training as the 1st owners? Our Bo's have much more available for drag options. While reading the recommendation for "stand down", my thought was that it has the smell of response to litigation.
Chuck

Liability? "We told them to get recurrent training or something like this could happen,Your Honor!!"

I found it interesting where is stated if not on a stabilized approach at 500' AGL, go around.

That is not taking any chances.

The only time I can see that is if you are way under/overshot (usually over) the runway in base to final.

I think a lot of pilots don't take airspeed into account when deciding whether an approach is "stabilized" or not.

Later edit after Paul's post: a lot of recreational pilots have never heard the term.

I had a chance to fly a recently built SR22 two months ago. I wasn't in love with the controls, but it isn't particularly difficult to fly. It's a good preformer, but not my favorite.

If you don't have good pitch and power authority, I can see how they can slip away from you. Slippery airplanes are dangerous for pilots that get too far behind, and no big deal to those who have good control thru the various phases of flight.

Their memo gives you insight into their typical customer....low experience. I'm a fan of flying a lot of different aircraft and learning what they do differently. I.E., Fly a lot of stuff, and then buy you last airplane!

It all goes back to training and proficiency. It’s been talked about here with our Bo’s. How many guys still come over the fence at 80-90 with the excuse that they have a long runway? A lot of pilots are afraid to fly “slow”.

Check the old post about acronyms.

“Cirrus”: They guy in the pattern that screwing it up.