Originally published at: Survivors Reportedly Jumped From Burning Balloon Basket - AVweb
Basket fire in a tourist balloon killed eight in Brazil.
What is a “survivable” altitude in a burning balloon/gondola? Amazing that anyone lived based on the video.
I know it is fairly common, but carrying over twenty people in a single balloon just doesn’t sound like a good idea to me. Did no one think to carry a fire extinguisher along “just in case”?
The survivable altitude varies greatly and I am sure some terribly smart person has penned a Wikipedia article about it. Weight, shape and age play a role as well as the individuals unique ability to withstand great impacts. For example, people like me, who are used to hitting brick walls are very much less at risk to end up in splatter, than people who have never received a beating.
More serious response:
What should be kept in mind, is that fire and burning to death caught in a (any) contraption is a very very ugly way to go. I can attest to that, 30 years after responding to a successful suicide attempt by acetone and fuel mixture. The smell this left in my nose, did no leave me for months. Screw the survivable altitude, get this done and over quick, please.
Probably one of the reasons why WW I pilots carried a gun to solve for X in case their aircraft was catching fire, following enemy contact and a understandable reason for 9/11 victims to prefer jumping to their death, rather than burning.
After my stepfathers suicide (by hefty measure) I spent quite some time researching and speaking with Neurologists to determine just how long after a massive event the human mind stays conscious - i.o.w. just how long is someone able to carry coherent thought after whichever form of life-ending event has occured. Quite scary.
Entering a Balloon has been a complete no-go for me, despite of the incredibly romantic experience and being invited to “drive” countless times. I love seeing them, but could not ever enter this basket.
I absolutely cannot fathom the tought of burning the very fabric that keeps me airborne. Jumping is likely the quickest and simplest way.