I have always valued and enjoyed Nick's posts, but this time I'm a bit baffled by the motivation behind his initial post here about the BRS system.
Of course it will not save 100% of the Cirrus pilots out there - it all depends on whether the situation allows the pilot time and thought process to decide to deploy it - but in the relatively short history of the Cirrus type there are numerous cases where the BRS has "let down" SR20/22 aircraft in a manner that not only saved the lives of the people on board, but also allowed those airplanes to fly again. Certainly it seems (to me anyway) that in some cases the BRS saved pilots from their own stupidity but the fact remains that it *saved* them to learn and hopefully not do that again.
It will take the NTSB some time to figure out what happened in this particular accident, but again I don't understand why there is a "piling on" to the concept of equipping an aircraft with BRS.
Disclaimers: I have about 25 hours in rented Cirrus SR20s, out of about 250 hours total in fixed wing aircraft, and found it to be an excellent airplane and very enjoyable to fly (although it lands nothing like a Cessna!). I'm also a low-timer in fling-wingers, with about 190 hours in those things.
To be honest the TCAS traffic avoidance system in the SR20 that I flew was the biggest leg-up for me in terms of perceived safety, but it was also nice knowing that if things went totally pear-shaped I had the option of pulling the BRS handle.
In summary - would I pay the extra $ to get the BRS option for an aircraft that I was lucky enough to be able to purchase? - you bet.
Dave Blevins