Is deploying the parachute in the case of an engine failure in a Cirrus a recommended procedure? The Cirrus SR20 flight manual I have does not leave me with that impression, indeed, somewhat to the contrary...
I think the view has always been pretty clear.
You would have to be very certain of a successful forced landing not to deploy the chute.
Here is the rational.
With the chute you will land vertically at around 20 mph. The u/c and compression panels beneath the seats are all designed to absorb energy and the energy that is transmitted to the pax is in the vertical plane - the precise plane the spine and the rest of the body is best able to absorb the residual energy.
Compare this with a conventional forced landing. If you are lucky you might impact with a forward velocity of around 60 mph (it could range by maybe -10mph but could equally exceed +30mph) which at best means you are carrying nearly ten times as much energy and the vector almost certainly will be in the wrong plane when it comes. The energy might dissipate slowly if you are lucky, but then again if you are unlucky the nose might dig in and the aircraft flip, with all sorts of other possibilities.
Which option would you take?
For these reasons the current thinking is you would have to have a good reason for not using the chute. The insurance companies share that view and favour the use of the chute if the engine quits.
In reality if you review the majority of chute deployments the aircrafts final resting place has been further cushioned by trees, shrubs and other elements of the terrain. While usually the damage to the aircraft is in fact relatively light and repairable, usually the aircraft is not repaired. The same would be true of an aircraft involved in a FL unless there was no serious structural damage. You would be lucky to land a Cirrus in most fields and find the u/c intact.