On February 16, 2016, the pilot of an Evolution Revo airplane died in an accident near Buckeye, Arizona; the airplane was substantially damaged. After the accident, first responders worked on and around the wreckage for about an hour before a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector advised them about the rocket and its potential hazard. (WPR16LA071)
On March 28, 2021, a Cirrus SR22 GTS was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Marana, Arizona; the pilot and passenger were uninjured. Following a loss of engine power, the pilot attempted to activate the airplane’s ballistic parachute system in flight; however, a malfunction prevented its deployment and the pilot performed a forced landing. Subsequently, the rocket was potentially still “active” on the ground after the accident. It was later determined that there was a malfunction in the primer charge of the rocket, so it was not capable of firing postaccident. But there was no way for first responders to know this at the time that they were on scene. (WPR21LA145)
On March 20, 2025, the flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction in a Cirrus SR22 died in an accident near LaFayette, Georgia. The airplane was destroyed. During the instructional flight practicing landings in the traffic pattern at an airport, the airplane impacted the runway and a postaccident fire ensued. According to a dashboard video provided by first responders, the BPRS rocket activated several minutes after the accident, while first responders were near the airplane. Fortunately, no one was injured on scene. (ERA25FA151)
