A spin-recovery parachute system for light general aviation airplanes

A tail-mounted spin-recovery parachute system has been designed and developed by the NASA Langley Research Center for use on light general aviation airplanes. The system was designed for use on typical airplane configurations, including low-wing, high-wing, single- and twin-engine designs. A mechanically triggered pyrotechnic slug gun is used to forcibly deploy a pilot parachute which extracts a bag that deploys a ring-slot spin-recovery parachute. The total system weighs 8.2 kg (18 lb). System design factors included airplane wake effects on parachute deployment, prevention of premature parachute deployment, positive parachute jettison, compact size, low weight, system reliability, and pilot and ground crew safety. Extensive ground tests were conducted to qualify the system. The recovery parachute has been used successfully in flight 17 times.