Cirrus airplanes are highly capable machines equipped with an array of features and technology that seemed unimaginable only a decade ago. They allow less experienced pilots to fly safely in conditions that would have been considered hazardous to those same pilots before. Because of this, we are seeing more and more accidents in these expensive airplanes that mimic training accidents.
I decided to take a look at the NTSB's record of fatal and non-fatal accidents for Cirrus aircraft going back to 1999, and I discovered patterns. What's interesting to note is that almost all of the non-fatal accidents occur during the landing flare or go-around attempts. The fatal accidents almost always involve flight into terrain while maneuvering near airports both in visual and instrument meteorological conditions.
Many people who buy Cirrus airplanes do so because they may utilize their aircraft much more quickly then other types on the market. The traditional flight training route can be partially circumvented because Cirrus makes airplanes that are very easy fly. In addition to a host of incredible avionics features, the Cirrus has a parachute. That kind of redundancy gives pilots and passengers a sense of security not found in other airplanes. Those same features may also lull pilots into a false sense of security--a parachute can't save you when you're 10 feet above the ground.
The fact that so many incidents occur during the landing phase of flight points to a training issue. There are quite a few destroyed Cirrus airplanes that were perfectly good before their last landing, and what makes it sting even more is that these accidents are completely avoidable with little addition training.
Flight instructors are highly trained and qualified individuals--the only problem is that flight instruction is so structured that it's easy to overlook items that may be beneficial to a new pilot. We all practice crosswind landings. We all practice short and soft field landings. We all practice spot landings. What we often fail to do is practice crosswind landings when the winds are 15 gusting to 22. When during your flight training do you recall going up with your instructor on a blustery day? How about when the windsock was standing straight out? If the first time you encounter these conditions is when you're alone with passengers, how are you going to feel when you break the landing gear off because you begin to porpoise and don't know how to recover?
If you've never experienced challenging wind conditions, you owe it to yourself to go up on a crappy day with a qualified instructor and teach yourself how to handle them. That way, when you arrive at your destination with unforecast gusts to 45 knots, you'll at least be prepared to tackle the challenge without fear of the unknown. Unless you quit flying today, it will happen to you some day. If you'd really like to learn how to handle your airplane near the runway environment, you should fly in a tailwheel airplane. A few hours in a taildragger will do more for your flying than hundreds in a Cirrus. And don't forget to do all of the above, at night, with your landing light off, too!
The previous discussion focused on problems Cirrus pilots encounter that don't result in death... The next one does.
Many of the fatal accidents in Cirrus airplanes involve flight near airports in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) in hilly or mountainous terrain. The avionics in your airplane are tools that, if used to their utmost capability, can get you into and out of some pretty serious situations. But like all tools, they're only as good as the person using them. There are people who can carve an animal with a chain saw--there are also people who would carve off their leg if given one. The same holds true for airplanes. Do you know your tools and how to use them? Don't let your ego answer that question. There are lot of aircraft occupants who paid the ultimate price because of overblown egos.
If you did all of your instrument training under the hood around your local airport, how qualified do you think you are to fly an approach into Lake Tahoe, California at night? A recent Cirrus crash in Big Bear City, California highlights that question. The pilot was maneuvering eight miles from the airport at night in instrument conditions and impacted trees and terrain. The question to ask yourself is would you fly in the back seat of an airplane with a pilot of your qualifications under the same conditions? Your airplane is a tool that must be used under limitations you place upon yourself. You ultimately have the final say, so make sure you'd be happy with your decisions if someone else was making them and you were the passenger.
Speaking of passengers, let's examine the difference in decision-making with and without them aboard. When you're alone, there is no pressure other than that you place upon yourself. When you have passengers, the destination may be so exciting that they may place undue pressure on you to proceed, even when doing so is not a wise decision. Remember that it's always better to have a pissed off passenger in a hotel than a dead one at a morgue. Never let your passengers or your plans dictate your safety.
There are many more things you can do to improve your flying safety, but you have a good start. I will leave you with the story of a Cirrus pilot who made a series of dumb decisions, but broke the accident chain with his final action. On this particular flight, it was a very dark night and the destination airport was marginal VFR. As the airplane approached, the airport went IFR, so the pilot elected to do an ILS approach into the airport. The tower asked, and the pilot responded that he was IFR qualified and current--only he wasn't. After being told to turn left to intercept the localizer, the pilot turned right. The tower controller directed the pilot to turn left again, at which point the pilot began to turn left. A few seconds later, the controller asked the pilot what airplane he was flying. His response was, "Cirrus, I had to pull the parachute." He had become so disoriented, he had to use the parachute. I have to commend this pilot for overcoming his ego and using his parachute before it was too late. His series of turns had placed him into a classic "Death Spiral" and he was only seconds away from losing the option to use his parachute. When in doubt, pull it out! Please use your parachute at the first sign you think you should. Too many Cirrus pilots have flown past the point of no return with a perfectly good parachute riding shotgun.
The current Sky Shares Cirrus SR22 Turbo Aircraft have been available with basic ice protection, meant only to buy pilots a bit of time and security while exiting an inadvertent icing encounter. It was never intended to allow pilots to deliberately penetrate visible moisture when icing is known or forecast. Too often, this lack of known icing capability hindered aircraft utility and dispatch rates. 
The introduction of Cirrus Known Ice Protection was just a matter of time, and the minute you activate the robust, FIKI-approved TKS system, you’ll know it’s different from the basic ice protection on non-FIKI aircraft. Cirrus Known Ice Protection is an actual FAA re-certification of the SR22 and Turbo to permit pilots to legally fly into known icing conditions. 
the basic system. When activated, the Cirrus Known Ice Protection system thoroughly and evenly coats flight surfaces, including the vertical stabilizer and elevator tips, with anti-ice fluid. The FIKI-approved system incorporates new elements like a stall speed indicator on the PFD, ice lights with split prisms on either side of the aircraft that illuminate both the wings and horizontal stabilizer in low-light conditions, and backup pumps and filters for fault-tolerant and redundant operation. With the two small nozzles positioned just below the windscreen, in addition to any fluid slung rearward by the propeller, the pilot is assured of an unobstructed forward view. Endurance for the system, now indicated on the Cirrus Perspective MFD, is increased to 150 minutes at Normal flow rates, 75 minutes when High is selected, and a new, Max rate has been added affording a total of 37.5 minutes of anti-ice capability, in two-minute bursts, during periods of higher accretion. 
