As investigators study the New York plane crash that killed Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and another person, the Minnesota manufacturer of the single-engine craft is certain to be drawn into the national spotlight.
Fast-growing Cirrus Design Corp. of Duluth has had the best-selling small airplane in America for four years. In less than a decade, the company has made a name for itself by creating two technologically advanced propeller-driven planes that are easy to fly and affordable for wealthy enthusiasts.
The company's Achilles' heel, however, has been a fatal accident rate that is high by some measures.
Bill King, vice president of business administration at Cirrus, said Wednesday night that the fatality rate involving Cirrus SR20s and the more powerful SR22s has "significantly improved'' since early 2003, when it was nearly three times the national rate. But he didn't have exact data and said Wednesday's fatalities would affect the company's standing.
"By some measures we're under [the national fatality rate for private planes] and by some measures we're over,'' he said.
In February 2003, when Cirrus' fatal accident history stood at 11 deaths in seven fatal crashes, King told the Star Tribune he was "frustrated and angry'' over the rash of deadly mishaps.
Now, 3 1/2 years later, there have been a total of 21 fatal accidents and 42 deaths dating to the March 1999 crash of an experimental SR20 flown by a Cirrus test pilot, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
This year alone, excluding Wednesday, there were five fatal accidents involving Cirrus SR20s and SR22s and nine deaths, according to the NTSB. A New York Times story last month said Lidle's plane was an SR20 that he bought second-hand since earning his pilot's license last off-season.
Jason Sandmeier, a pilot who worked as a Cirrus flight instructor earlier this year, said the brand has been given a "bad rap'' by people who focus on the fatal crashes. To the extent the accident history is problematic, he said, it's due to pilot error. He said he believes many of the fatal accidents resulted because the ease of operation gives some pilots a false sense of security, leading them into situations they can't handle.
"Is it the plane's fault? Absolutely not,'' Sandmeier said.
The most recent fatal Cirrus crash in Minnesota was Dec. 11 in Arco. A pilot and two passengers died in the crash of an SR22 en route from Wayne, Minn., to Montevideo. It's unclear from the preliminary NTSB report what led to the crash.
King said the company immediately dispatched one of its experts to New York to assist in the investigation.
"We were absolutely stunned" to learn the plane was a Cirrus, King said, because the plane has many features - including advanced electronic navigation equipment and a ballistic airframe parachute - to help pilots in trouble.
More than 3,000 SR20s are flying worldwide, he said.
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