I am haunted by those pictures from the World Trade Center on 9-11 of people who jumped to their deaths rather than perish in the flames. Would they be considered suicides?
Read this:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2680730/posts?page=112#112
Only God knows — and of course, a saint who could see into the future for that distraught woman.
No. There was very intense heat above and below impact. Much more so above as heat rises. I used to be a fire fighter when I was in the Navy and know about how heat transfers work in metal structures.
Some jumpers were blown out others likely saw jumping as an only hope to live. The ones above the impact were given a death sentence the second the plane hit. Stairwells and elevator shafts in buildings that size act as giant ventilation shafts. Even if they could have gotten past the hit floors the fumes alone would have likely killed them. There are some very horrible ways to go and fire is among the worse. Jumping to escape fire would be a normal & logical response under the circumstances.