On a test flight near Cessna headquarters in Wichita, a second SkyCatcher test aircraft has crashed. The test pilot deployed the light sport aircraft’s ballistic parachute recovery system and walked away from the crash site. The aluminum airframe struck a fence on landing and flipped inverted. There was no fire. A Cessna spokesman would not comment on what phase of flight the SkyCatcher might have been in at the time of loss of control. Another SkyCatcher crashed on a test flight last year following loss of control during spin testing. The pilot of that airplane bailed out and survived the parachute jump without injury. Following that accident, Cessna increased the size and changed the configuration of the SkyCatcher’s tail surfaces. Cessna has orders in hand for more than 1,000 SkyCatchers, which are to be built in China and are eligible for FAA’s light sport aircraft category.
Second SkyCatcher Crashes on Test Flight: Pilot Safe
Key Takeaways:
- A second Cessna SkyCatcher test aircraft has crashed near Wichita, with its pilot surviving after deploying the ballistic parachute recovery system.
- This incident follows a previous SkyCatcher crash last year, also involving a surviving pilot, after which Cessna increased the size and changed the configuration of the aircraft's tail.
- Despite these two test flight crashes, Cessna holds orders for more than 1,000 of the Chinese-built light sport aircraft.
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