Hang gliding pilot remains in jail

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CHILLIWACK (NEWS1130) – The hang glider pilot whose passenger fell to her death near Agassiz will remain in custody.

After a two hour delay, it took just 30 seconds for court to hear that a postponement is needed. A judge will now hear Friday whether 50-year-old William (Jon) Orders should be released from jail.

The RCMP accuse him of swallowing a data card that may have video evidence of the accident that killed his 27-year-old tandem passenger, Lenami Godinez-Avila. Orders’ business, Vancouver Hang Gliding, offers tandem hang gliding flights, and his website notes customers can purchase photos and videos of their experiences.

RCMP Cpl. Tammy Hollingsworth says daily X-rays prove the card is still in him. “He’s at Agassiz RCMP Detachment and is being transported by police to and from the hospital.”

Hollingsworth adds someone is watching him at all times to make sure the evidence isn’t lost.

Crown prosecutor Lori Stevens doesn’t know if the evidence will still be in tact when they do retrieve it. “I don’t have the knowledge about what could happen to it.”

Margit Nance with the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada says they have suspended Orders’ flying certification for now.

“We have assigned an investigator to do an investigation on our behalf and we are of course fully cooperating with authorities to provide them with expertise, assistance, information, whatever they might need.”

She adds they’ve never before dealt with a death and need to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Godinez-Avila had signed up for her first hand gliding ride with her boyfriend on Saturday. Moments after taking off, she fell into a wooded area as her boyfriend looked on.

Search and rescue spent much of Saturday looking for her. At around 7 p.m. they located the pilot’s shoe. Roughly 20 metres away, the crew found Godinez’s body. It’s believed that she grabbed onto the shoe as she fell towards the ground.

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