Cirrus SR22 pilot deploys parachute after in-flight engine fire in Brazil

A Cirrus SR22 caught fire in flight over Serra Azul, Brazil, and the pilot activated the plane's built-in parachute system, according to early media accounts. The 29-year-old pilot suffered smoke inhalation but no other injuries, the reports said.

Footage circulating on social media showed flames and smoke coming from the engine compartment as the aircraft descended under its parachute. It came down in a field and was largely destroyed by fire after the pilot got clear.

The aircraft had departed Pampulha-Carlos Drummond de Andrade Airport in Belo Horizonte, bound for Bom Despacho Airport. According to social media accounts, an explosion and fire broke out in the engine area roughly 14 minutes into the flight.

The Cirrus SR series was the first mass-produced light aircraft to come equipped with an airframe parachute as standard. Guidance for pilots facing an in-flight engine fire calls for securing the engine and landing as soon as possible, leaving the choice between gliding to a runway or deploying the parachute to the pilot's judgment in the moment.

Brazilian aviation authorities are expected to investigate, along with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board, given the aircraft's American manufacture. No cause for the fire has yet been established.