Plane's chute fails

An emergency parachute for aircraft has failed to deploy in its first real-life test. Pilots should be able to deploy the chute, now fitted to all Cirrus SR20 light aircraft, and float the entire aircraft to safety (New Scientist, 3 April 1999, p 11). Last week Paul Helfin and Ben Ditty ran into instrument trouble while flying 1000 metres above Lexington, Kentucky. They pulled the deploy lever but nothing happened. The chute opened only after they had made an emergency landing. The men escaped unhurt but an investigation is under way to discover the cause of the failure.