Parachute system deployed during single-engine plane crash in Minas Gerais

A single-engine airplane crashed in a wooded area in the district of Serra Azul, in Mateus Leme, Greater Belo Horizonte, after experiencing a malfunction followed by the beginning of a fire. The pilot and sole occupant of the aircraft managed to activate the equipment's own parachute system to perform an emergency landing before the aircraft hit the ground and caught fire.

Aircraft details and flight route

The aircraft involved in the incident is a 2013 Cirrus Design SR22 model, with five seats and registration under the tail number PR-VMI. The private-use plane was in normal status with the Brazilian Aeronautical Registry and had a valid certificate until September 2026, with no registered flight restrictions. The flight departed from Pampulha Airport, in Belo Horizonte, heading to Bom Despacho, taking an intermunicipal route for a possible maintenance check.

How the parachute system works

The model features the CAPS parachute system—short for Cirrus Airframe Parachute System—which comes as standard equipment on SR-line models. This mechanism is specifically designed to allow the entire plane to descend in emergency situations, with the occupant remaining protected inside the cabin throughout the entire descent process to the ground.

The rescue of the pilot after the crash

The 29-year-old pilot was pulled from the wreckage by bystanders who were at the scene shortly after the forced landing and the subsequent destruction of the aircraft by fire. He was initially taken to a Regional Emergency Care Unit and later transferred to João XXIII Hospital. The Fire Department and the Mobile Emergency Care Service indicated that the man was conscious, oriented, with no complaints of severe pain or scrapes, although he received medical care due to suspected smoke inhalation.

Brazilian Air Force investigation

The Brazilian Air Force dispatched investigators from the Third Regional Service for the Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents to conduct the Initial Action of the occurrence. The professionals are collecting data, verifying damage, and gathering information to support the next phases of the official investigation. The work aims to identify the factors that contributed to the accident and could result in the issuance of new safety recommendations for civil aviation.

With information from G1, R7, CNN Brasil.