In this case parachutes may have helped too. Multiple eyewitnesses
report the cirrus occupants jumping from the burning wreck as it
descended under the BRS. Who knows if the tow pilot would have had a
chance or was killed by the impact.

Some years ago there was an account in Soaring Mag by a tow pilot who
always wore a surplus military chute while towing and was laughed at
by all the club members till the day his towplane caught fire at 1500
ft or so and he saved his life by jumping. As I recall, the article
ended by telling how all the other local tow pilots flew with chutes,
helmets, and nomex suits afterward. The story made a big impression
on me.

MM