WINONA, Minn. — The ultra-light airplane that crashed and killed the pilot at the Winona airport last week had a parachute system that didn’t activateate, investigators said. Police ,who were first to arrive at the crash, recognized the ballistic parachute system mounted on the lower aft section. A Fire Department team was called to determine if the system was armed. The manufacturer then was called and advised that the system could be rendered safe by cutting the activation pull cord. Rather than risk an explosion, however, the firefighters called a state bomb squad to disarm the device.
Earlier: Cause of fatal Winona plane crash still unknown
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