Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

Editor-in-Chief

Matt Thurber

The pilot flying a Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet made a successful emergency landing on June 2 at Athens-Ben Epps Airport (KAHN) in Georgia after the single-engine jet’s Williams International FJ33-5A engine failed at about 11,000 feet.&nbsp;According to FlightAware, the Vision Jet departed from Greene County Regional Airport (KCPP) in Greensboro, Georgia.
The jet—N129KA—is a 2024 G2+ model, according to a listing on brokerage Lone Mountain Aircraft, with 256 hours TT at the time of the listing.&nbsp;
According to reports cited by Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network, the Vision Jet “suffered an uncontained engine failure while climbing through 11,000 feet.” The pilot apparently elected not to use the jet’s Cirrus Airframe Parachute System and glided safely to KAHN.
At this time, there is no additional information on the engine failure. AIN has reached out to Cirrus, Williams International, and Lone Mountain for statements but had not received replies at press time.
Cirrus Vision Jet pilots practice engine-out glides and landings in the full-motion SF50 simulator during type-rating training. With a glide ratio of 14.7:1, the jet performs better with its engine inoperative than typical single-engine trainers with glide ratios of around 9:1 (for example, the Cessna 172).

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According to reports cited by Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network, the Vision Jet “suffered an uncontained engine failure while climbing.” 

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In this article

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