401 Cirrus Crash Lessons: CAPS Parachute Save vs. Deadly Go-Around + GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Release Date: 10/23/2025
418 New Zealand Flying: Aero Clubs, Milford Sound, and Glowworm Caves + GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with Russell Ladbrook about a chance meeting in New Zealand that turned into one of the most delightful episodes of Aviation News Talk. Max was taking a glowworm cave tour when Russell noticed his Cirrus jacket, struck up a conversation, and soon realized he was talking to the host of a podcast he had followed for years. By the end of the day, the two were sitting down at the Fjordland Aero Club near Manapouri Airport for a conversation about flying in one of the most scenic and demanding parts of the world. How aero clubs keep flying affordable Russell explains that aero...
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417 Cirrus SR22, Vision Jet and SR20 Design with Mike VanStaagen
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with Mike VanStaagen about the design philosophy behind the Cirrus SR20, SR22, and SF50 Vision Jet, and how Cirrus rethought what pilots and passengers should experience inside an airplane. Mike explains how his architectural mindset helped him bring together competing ideas at Cirrus and turn them into aircraft that felt modern, spacious, intuitive, and comfortable. They discuss why Cirrus focused so heavily on easier entry and exit, better visibility on the ground and in flight, and a roomier cabin than traditional GA airplanes. Mike describes how ideas borrowed from the auto...
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416 Airline Pilot Career Path: Part 61 vs Part 141, R-ATP & Getting Hired (Jason Blair)
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Airline pilot career path roadmap with Jason Blair: Part 61 vs Part 141, R-ATP, and what matters most for getting hired. Max talks with Jason Blair about building an airline pilot career path that gets you to the right seat faster—without expensive detours. If you’re comparing Part 61 vs Part 141, wondering whether R-ATP changes your strategy, or trying to figure out what actually helps with getting hired, this episode is a practical roadmap. Jason explains how to think backwards from your target job (regional, major airline, charter, corporate) and make training decisions that...
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415 Log IFR Instrument Currency in an FAA-Approved Simulator + Redbird Factory Tour
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with Josh Harnagel, COO of Redbird Flight, about a practical use-case that matters to almost every instrument pilot: logging IFR instrument currency and staying proficient in an FAA-approved simulator. Josh explains why many pilots buy Redbird’s FAA-approved tabletop devices specifically for currency—especially to knock out the holding requirement—and why he likes shooting an approach in the simulator before flying it in the airplane. Max shares why he does the same thing before recurrent training, because simulator reps surface the “gotchas” that can spike workload in...
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414 Epic E1000 N98FK Crash at Steamboat Springs: LNAV+V Advisory Glidepath Trap
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
An Epic E1000, N98FK, crashed near Steamboat Springs, Colorado during a night RNAV (GPS) approach. The lateral track was almost perfect, but the vertical profile was fatal: the airplane remained on an LNAV+V “advisory glide slope” and descended below the 9,100-foot MDA into terrain. Max explains what Garmin calls Advisory Vertical Guidance, why LNAV+V can look nearly identical to an LPV on the PFD, and why it does not provide obstacle protection below minimums. He shows the airplane crossed the FAF MABKY and stepdown fix WDCHK essentially on altitude—then continued descending...
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413 Cirrus G3 Vision Jet: CPDLC Datalink + 6-Adult Cabin (Matt Bergwall) — AOPA President Job + GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with Matt Bergwall, Executive Director of the Vision Jet Product Line at Cirrus, about the just-announced Cirrus SF50 G3 Vision Jet—and before that, he offers an unusually personal look at what the AOPA President’s job actually requires. Max opens by explaining that he interviewed for the AOPA President role twice and uses that experience to outline what makes the position difficult and consequential. In his view, the job is not simply “being the public face of GA.” It demands relentless travel to connect with members, lawmakers, regulators, and stakeholders—while...
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412 Cirrus SR22T N17DT Stall Crash: Flaps Retracted on Low-Power Approach + GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with Rob Mark about the fatal crash of Cirrus SR22T N17DT near Shelbyville, Indiana, and why this accident is so instructive for any pilot who flies approaches at low altitude with high workload. The NTSB’s probable cause centers on inadequate airspeed and an aerodynamic stall, but the real value is in the flight data that shows how the airplane got there: low power held for an extended period, repeated stall warnings, multiple ESP interventions, and flaps that ultimately remained retracted until impact. This episode matters because it’s rare to have this level of detail....
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411 Vision Jet SF50 Landing Gear Collapse: Wrong Lever After Touchdown +GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with Rob Mark about a classic “simple mistake with big consequences” scenario: a pilot who possibly raised the landing gear handle instead of selecting flaps up during the landing roll in a Cirrus Vision Jet. The event looks minor on the surface—no injuries and the airplane stayed on the runway—but it exposes a human-factors trap that can bite any retractable-gear pilot, especially when you’re trying to be quick and efficient right after touchdown. The discussion centers on the NTSB’s final report for a Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet that landed at Watsonville Municipal...
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410 Cirrus SR22 Safety: Stabilized Approaches and Go-Around Accident Lessons
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with Mark Waddell of the Cirrus Owner and Pilots Association (COPA) about how Cirrus pilots can reduce accidents by focusing on the places where the accident chain most often begins: unstable approaches, indecisive go-arounds, and delayed choices during power-loss events. They discuss what pilots are doing in the cockpit that turns routine flights into incidents, and what specific habits and training standards reduce that risk. Mark explains that 2025 included eight fatal Cirrus accidents and twelve CAPS saves. Mark argues that the big safety wins come from addressing repeatable...
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409 Statesville Citation 550 Crash (Greg Biffle): New ADS-B Clue & Rain-Induced Illusions
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with host Scott Hamilton of WBT, Charlotte's News Talk radio, about the Statesville, North Carolina Citation 550 crash that killed NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and six others, then expands the conversation with a fresh technical finding and a practical training takeaway for pilots. While preparing for the short radio interview, Max revisited the ADS-B track and noticed something he hadn’t seen anyone else write about: the altitude anomaly isn’t merely a “jump,” it’s an impossible spike. The key number is stark. The ADS-B data shows a reported climb of 1,374 feet in 1.64...
info_outlineMax talks with John Fiscus of The Flight Academy to break down two Cirrus SR22 accidents that highlight the extremes of safety outcomes in general aviation: one a dramatic survival story, the other a heartbreaking tragedy.
Accident 1: CAPS Parachute Save over Lake Michigan
The first accident involved a Cirrus SR22 (N121JB) that suffered engine failure shortly after reaching 7,500 feet on a flight across Lake Michigan. The pilot and passengers had life vests ready, immediately turned toward shore, declared a mayday, and deployed the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). The parachute brought the aircraft down safely into the cold waters, where the occupants were rescued by the Coast Guard.
This outcome underscores why CAPS has become one of Cirrus’s most powerful safety innovations. John emphasizes lessons from the accident:
- Always wear flotation gear before flying over large bodies of water.
- Be cautious of low-time airplanes—this Cirrus had only 75 hours in four years, raising concerns about engine reliability.
- Understand the “unwritten rule”: don’t fly beyond gliding distance over the Great Lakes, where hypothermia makes ditching survival unlikely.
Accident 2: Fatal Go-Around at Franklin County Airport, NC
The second case involved a Cirrus SR22 Turbo (N218VB) attempting to land at Franklin County Airport in North Carolina. Weather was clear, but the pilot approached high, fast, and tight, leaving little margin for error. After abandoning the first landing attempt, the pilot tried again but remained unstable. On the second approach, the aircraft descended steeply and attempted a go-around, which ended in a fatal crash.
John and Max discuss common contributing factors in go-around accidents:
- Unstable approaches with excessive speed and descent rates.
- Turbocharged engine management—if the mixture isn’t properly enriched, adding full power can cause the engine to stumble or quit.
- Rudder discipline—failure to apply right rudder is a leading cause of go-around crashes, often resulting in wreckage on the left side of the runway.
- Lack of practice—many pilots avoid go-arounds, leaving them unprepared for the demands of the maneuver.
Both accidents reinforce the importance of:
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Airline pilots succeed not because they’re inherently better, but because they follow strict procedures. GA pilots should do the same.
- Go-Around Training: Every pilot should regularly practice stabilized go-arounds under realistic conditions.
- CAPS Awareness: The parachute system consistently saves lives when used promptly.
- Risk Assessment: Whether crossing lakes or approaching mountainous airports, risk should be mitigated through planning, equipment, and training.
By contrasting a successful CAPS deployment with a tragic go-around accident, this episode drives home the reality that survival often comes down to preparation, discipline, and knowing how to use the tools available.
For Cirrus and general aviation pilots alike, this is an essential conversation on accident prevention, go-around safety, and maximizing the life-saving potential of CAPS.
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