"octothorpe" wrote in message
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"arjay" wrote in message
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"octothorpe" wrote in message
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"Bald White Male 47 165 lbs" wrote in message
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"Buda" wrote in
et:

Pic: *A hot air balloon's basket bursts into flames shortly after
takeoff


I bet it was caused by a broken valve.

Or a malfunctioning pressure regulator caused a hose to burst. Either
way it appeared that mass quantities of fuel were releasing during the
flight.

Strictly, there was no flight. The fire started while the balloon was
still tethered. Most who got out jumped from close to ground level.
That made the gondola lighter, of course, so when the tether burned
through the thing rose quickly. A couple of people jumped from around 50
metres. Those who died didn't jump in time.

http://www.cbc.ca/photogallery/canada/669/

Balloon flight has limited control at best. Either up or down with the
wind determining the rest. If our language has another word strictly for
what occurred then I'd be glad to see it.

OK ... then this balloon "flight" was analogous to what happens to a
conventional, fixed-wing aircraft when the engines fail at altitude and the
pilot and all but two passengers bail. Physics takes over. The aircraft
continues "flying" for a bit, but it is eventually destroyed along with the
two people it still carries.
The balloon pilot left the gondola while the craft was still tethered. The
ascent was entirely uncontrolled, and (as the pics available at
http://www.cbc.ca/photogallery/canada/669/ show) the air bag was consumed by
flame in mid air.

Tom