CIRRUS DESIGN 2220, Pilot Operating Handbook

Page: 287 / 334

C
IRRUS
D
ESIGN
S
ECTION
7: A
IRPLANE AND
S
YSTEMS
SR20 C
IRRUS
A
IRFRAME
P
ARACHUTE
S
YSTEM
P/N 11934-005 7-93
Cirrus Airframe Parachute System
The airplane is equipped with a Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS)
designed to bring the airplane and its occupants to the ground in the event
of a life-threatening emergency. The system is intended to save the lives of
the occupants but will most likely destroy the airplane and may, in adverse
circumstances, cause serious injury or death to the occupants. Because of
this it is important to carefully read Section 3 - Emergency Procedures,
CAPS Deployment Checklist and Section 10 - Safety Information, Cirrus
Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) to consider when and how you would
use the system.
• WARNING •
The parachute system can be activated at any time. The solid-propel-
lant rocket flight path is upward from the parachute cover. Stay clear
of parachute canister area when airplane is occupied. Do not allow
children in the airplane unattended.
System Description
The CAPS consists of a parachute, a solid-propellant rocket to deploy the
parachute, a rocket activation handle, and a harness imbedded within the
fuselage structure.
A composite box containing the parachute and solid-propellant rocket is
mounted to the airplane structure immediately aft of the baggage compart-
ment bulkhead. The box is covered and protected from the elements by a
thin composite cover.
The parachute is enclosed within a deployment bag that stages the deploy-
ment and inflation sequence. The deployment bag creates an orderly
deployment process by allowing the canopy to inflate only after the rocket
motor has pulled the parachute lines taut.
The parachute itself is a 2400-square-foot round canopy equipped with a
slider, an annular-shaped fabric panel with a diameter significantly less
than the open diameter of the canopy. The slider has grommets spaced
around its perimeter. The canopy suspension lines are routed through
these grommets so that the slider is free to move along the suspension lines.
Since the slider is positioned at the top of the suspension lines near the
canopy, at the beginning of the deployment sequence the slider limits the
initial diameter of the parachute and the rate at which the parachute
inflates. As the slider moves down the suspension lines the canopy inflates.
Reissue A