Cirrus Design Corporation scrambled last Friday and over the weekend to inform Cirrus owners of an emergency parachute system problem. Cirrus issued a service advisory, recommending that owners not fly their Cirrus SR20 and SR22 aircraft until field repairs are made. A one-day VFR flight is permitted to position the aircraft for repair. Ballistic Recovery Systems Inc. (BRS), manufacturer of the parachute system, discovered the problem as it was completing a new design for the Cessna 172 Skyhawk. The condition involves the BRS activation hardware used to deploy the emergency parachute but does not affect the parachute or the deployment rocket. The repair is estimated to take less than an hour at no cost to owners. Although Cirrus has been manufacturing and shipping repair parts to its service centers, Cirrus officials have asked the FAA to follow up with an AD to ensure all owners comply. The situation affects fewer than 200 aircraft, but for safety, the companies want to replace parts in the entire fleet of 320 aircraft. Cirrus SR20 and SR22s are the first FAA-certified airplanes equipped with the BRS aircraft parachute system. The system, designed to be deployed in an emergency, fires a rocket-powered parachute out of the upper rear fuselage of the aircraft, which lowers the aircraft and its occupants to safety.
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