Pilot Under Arrest in Mexican Tragedy: Girl Leaps From Burning Balloon to Save Her Life

A pilot has been arrested after jumping from a burning hot air balloon leaving a family to die.  Victor Guzmán was detained after leaping 16 feet from the aircraft over the weekend. The man was placed in custody after receiving treatment for second-degree burns to his face and arm.

On Saturday, 50-year-old Jose Nolasco surprised his wife, Viridiana Becerril with a ride through the sky with their 13-year-old daughter, Regina Itzani,  The balloon glided over the pre-Hispanic pyramid site of Teotihuacán, Mexico.  The family rented the balloon for a surprise birthday trip.

However, the fun day out took a lethal turn when an issue with the balloon’s gas system caused the cabin to become engulfed in flames after it departed around 8 am.The c ouple, Jose and Viridiana, were burnt to death, leaving behind their daughter, Regina, who was reported to have bravely jumped from the fire to the ground below.  The terrifying moment was captured on film, as onlookers watched Regina and Guzmán leap as the couple perishes in the fire.  Regina is currently being treated in the hospital for a broken arm and second-degree burns.

Guzmán faces two alleged homicide charges, telling agents assigned to the State of Mexico Attorney General's Office that he had abandoned the family as he didn't know how to respond to the emergency, the Mexico Daily News reported.  Viridiana’s mother, Reyna Sarmiento, told the Mexican national newspaper Milenio that Regina hugged her parents just before she leapt from the carriage.

“The girl told us that the gas tank there, the hydrostatic gas tank, started to light up, and that was what started to burn,” the grandmother said.  “She says her parents hugged her, but she turned away from them, and she jumped.”

The Federal Aviation Agency is leading the investigation and looking into whether the company, Autocinema Retroviso, is licensed to operate hot air balloon service and if it’s covered by insurance in these kinds of accidents.  “It is imperative that these same authorities act effectively in order to cancel the operations of companies that, unfortunately, operate outside the legal framework and sometimes in hiding, affecting the safety of the operations of all of us who operate in the immediate vicinity of the archaeological site of Teotihuacán,” the federation said.