Cirrus SR22 catches fire in flight over Brazil, pilot deploys parachute

A Cirrus SR22 single-engine aircraft caught fire in flight over Minas Gerais state, Brazil, on August 25. The pilot deployed the plane's built-in emergency parachute system to reach the ground safely.

The 29-year-old private pilot had departed Pampulha airport in Belo Horizonte bound for Bom Despacho. About 15 minutes after takeoff, an explosion reportedly occurred, followed by an engine fire, according to the Brazilian news portal G1. The aircraft, registered PR-VMI, came down in a wooded area near Serra Azul.

The pilot triggered the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, known as CAPS, letting the aircraft descend under canopy rather than crash uncontrolled. Local residents helped bring him to safety after landing. He was reported to be conscious and coherent. The aircraft was destroyed by fire, but no injuries on the ground were reported.

Brazil's aviation accident investigation body, Cenipa, has sent investigators to the site to examine the cause of the fire and the sequence of events leading to the emergency.

Cirrus has marketed its parachute system as a signature safety feature since it first appeared on the SR20 in 1999. The manufacturer has said the system had saved 265 lives by 2024, a figure it presented at an aviation trade show earlier that year. This incident adds to the list of cases in which the system has been credited with helping a pilot survive an in-flight emergency.

The exact cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed. Cenipa's investigation is ongoing.