The basket and people must weight a couple thousand pounds so I can't see how a person with a parachute could have the dramatic effect that is described in his explanation. I am in no way arguing that he should have been allowed to jump, just saying I am not buying the potential danger described.
Does the description of the danger hold any air?
The explanation starting at 2:30 in the video (
) is enlightening. By "parachute" he is referring to the round top of the balloon which is only held in place by some velcro, plus the upward pressure of the hot air which forces the "parachute" upwards against the load tapes. Normally the "parachute" is only pulled slightly downward occasionally on one side to spill a small amount of hot air, until after touchdown when it is pulled completely down to deflate the envelope as soon as possible to prevent the wind from dragging the balloon along on the ground. A downward aerodynamic load on the top of the balloon due to an abnormally high ascent rate could dislodge the "parachute" entirely and let all the hot air out. This is why skydivers should normally only be allowed to exit when the balloon has zero vertical speed, or is in a descent. Likewise for hang glider drops.The "parachute" or "parachute valve" can be seen on a diagram on this web page: https://hotairflight.com/blog/parts-of-a-hot-air-balloon?expand_article=1
This link has someThis link some interesting reading about skydiving from balloons: https://www.droplyne.com/skydivers.
