January 22, 2013, Danbury, Conn., Cirrus Design Corp. SR20

At about 1925 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged after its airframe parachute was deployed while on approach. The flight instructor, a private pilot and a passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane was on approach when it experienced a total loss of engine power and the pilot reported that the airplane was “out of fuel” to ATC. The pilot elected to deploy the CAPS and the airplane subsequently descended via parachute into trees, about three miles northeast of the airport.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

An airplane sustained substantial damage after its airframe parachute was deployed during approach due to a total loss of engine power.
The pilot reported the airplane was "out of fuel," a claim corroborated by an examination finding no visible fuel in the tanks.
Despite the airplane descending into trees and suffering substantial damage, all three occupants (flight instructor, private pilot, and passenger) were uninjured.

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The airplane was on approach when it experienced a total loss of engine power and the pilot reported that the airplane was “out of fuel” to ATC. The pilot elected to deploy the CAPS and the airplane subsequently descended via parachute into trees, about three miles northeast of the airport. The airplane’s empennage separated and the fuselage sustained substantial damage.

Initial examination did not reveal any visible fuel in the airplane’s fuel tanks. Approximately 26 oz. of fuel was drained from the system.