At Mach 18.3 and 207,135 feet (IIRC that is what NASA said the altitude at loss of contact was) I think death was rather instantaneous.
95 Contour SE ATX V6- SOLD
2001.5 VW Passat GLX V6 Tiptronic
2004 Honda VTX 1800N1
There are no stupid questions.
There are a LOT of inquisitive idiots.