could the number of crew bailing out be related to aircraft damage?
Probably (I don't speak code).
Let's see. B-17G crews were typically: Pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier/nose gunner,top turret gunner, radio operator, waist gunners (2), ball turret gunner, tail gunner; (9 plus the pilot). 'Kill-able' positions would be anything with a 'gunner' in the name (6). With max crew loss that's pilot + 3 (per plane).
Perhaps if a 'shift+enter-enter-enter' command stood for crew and required ordering them to bail before you did (bearing in mind that if you changed your mind and stayed on board you would be blocked from gunner/bombardier access) then surviving crew would become drone-chutes. Same for other aircraft (based on surviving crew size).
Question becomes, would a 'wingmanned' flight of three (or 6 or 9 or 12, ect.) B-17s or 24s or Lancs hit surrounding player frame-rates hard if they all bailed for the hell of it and 27 to 120 chute objects suddenly appeared in visual range?