Alex Ritchie, 52; Balloonist Rescued Comrades

Alex Ritchie, 52, balloonist who prevented a balloon’s crash-dive last year. In January 1997, the Scottish mechanical engineer was part of a crew attempting to pilot a balloon around the world. When the flight was beset by turbulence, he clambered atop the balloon gondola to jettison fuel tanks, permitting the balloon to descend safely in the Sahara Desert. Although the round-the-world flight was aborted, Ritchie averted disaster by saving crew members’ lives. He immediately set about planning another balloon circumnavigation. On Saturday in London of skydiving injuries.