As recounted to me, the person in question was (some years ago) flying a rather dubious early microlight in France [A Quicksilver I believe]. They suffered a structural failure (not sadly that uncommon pre-Section S) and pulled the handle at a 1000ft or so. They ended up in a field, with a wrecked aeroplane, and walked away un-injured.
My experience of the installations, is that they are always designed such that the aircraft comes down gear-first, providing a lot of shock absorbtion on impact.
On the subject of the certification process, it is true that at-least in the UK, they are certified on the basis that they mustn't endanger the aircraft if not used. I know that designers make sure that they are satisfied it will save lives, but CAA approval hasn't required this. I've no idea what the FAA position is, anybody know?
G
[This message has been edited by Genghis the Engineer (edited 15 June 2001).]