plummet 復習

すでに取り上げられていますが，アメリカ、テキサスで起きた熱気球の事故で、乗客全員が死亡しました。

Hot-Air Balloon Crash in Texas Kills 16, Officials Say

LOCKHART, Tex. — A hot-air balloon carrying 16 people caught fire and crashed in Central Texas on Saturday, officials said, and the local authorities said no one had survived.

The balloon crashed in a pasture near Lockhart, a town about 30 miles south of Austin, said Lynn Lunsford, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. Initial reports from officials said the balloon had plummeted after catching fire in the air, but at least one witness said it might have struck high-tension power lines before hitting the ground and bursting into flames. The accident occurred shortly after 7:40 a.m., Mr. Lunsford said.

In a brief telephone interview, Mr. Lunsford said that officials were on their way to the site and that the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified. The agency will be in charge of the investigation.

Mr. Lunsford said he did not know what had led to the crash or whether there had been a distress call. The Caldwell County sheriff, Daniel Law, said in a statement, “It does not appear at this time that there were any survivors.”

By late afternoon, investigators had yet to publicly identify any of the victims or their relations to one another. But local news reports, quoting unnamed sources, identified the pilot of the balloon as Alfred Nichols, known as Skip. He was listed as an owner and the chief pilot of Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/07/31/us/balloon-crash-texas.html

記事の中で気になった単語は"plummeted"です。
まず、LDOCEで"plummet"を調べると、"to suddenly and quickly decrease in value or amount"や"to fall suddenly and quickly from a very high place"という意味がありました。

『ジーニアス英和辞典』第4版(大修館)では、「(…から/…に)まっすぐ落ちる[down]」や「(物価などが)(ある数値に)急落する[to]」と載っていました。

空中で出火した気球は急降下し、悲惨な結果となりました。原因は、高圧送電線に接触したためと報じられています。(Akim)

plummet - 田邉祐司ゼミ 常時英心：言葉の森から
plummets to death - 田邉祐司ゼミ 常時英心：言葉の森から