The pilot of a tandem hang-glider involved in a fatal incident Saturday has been charged with obstruction of justice in connection with the investigation into the death of the man's 27-year-old passenger.
Lenami Godinez, 27, fell 300 metres to her death Saturday shortly after she and pilot William Johnathan Orders launched off Mount Woodside near Agassiz Saturday.
Jason Warner, safety officer for the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada, said the pilot knew almost immediately something was wrong after the pair launched off the popular Mount Woodside just before noon. He tried to grab the 27-year-old woman, identified as Lenami Godinez, and sought to hold on to the straps of her harness but she slid out of his grasp, grabbing his feet in a last-ditch attempt to hang on.
(The pilot) realized right away from takeoff that something was wrong and he tried to grab her, Warner said. The shoe ended up being a clue to finding her.
Police, aided by helicopter, search and rescue teams from nearby Chilliwack and Kent-Harrison, as well as local paragliders combed the terrain for hours. One of the paragliders spotted a shoe earlier in the day but didnt link it to the pilot until just before the search was to be called off.
Godinezs body was found by searchers about seven hours later, about 20 metres from one of the pilots shoes.
Orders, 50, of Burnaby, was later arrested and charged Monday with obstructing justice. Mounties allege that he "withheld potential key evidence which could help determine whether he played a role in any wrongdoing."
Agassiz RCMP and the BC Coroner's Service continue their investigation.
"This is an absolutely tragic accident, there are really no other words to describe it," said Cpl. Tammy Hollingsworth. "What exactly happened as far as why she fell is still under investigation and we are hoping the investigation will answer that question as well as other questions we all may have."
Warner told the Vancouver Sun that he couldn't cant recall a fatal accident like this happening in Canada.
We work very hard to make sure our safety standards are adhered to, Warner said.
He said the pilot had more than a decade of experience hang gliding all over the world and was up to date on his membership with the association, which monitors instructors. But he noted this has been an irregular year with two paragliding accidents in which the pilots injured their backs after failing to properly prepare for takeoff. Earlier this month, a paraglider crash-landed into a tree near Agassiz after jumping off Mount Woodside.
Warner said the pilot was emotional and upset following the accident. He has apologized to the womans boyfriend and both are receiving support from victims services. It was the woman and her boyfriends first time trying the sport, said Warner.
At this point there is an investigation so we dont know if it was a pilot error or an equipment failure, he said.
The BC Coroners Service is investigating.
Barb McLintock, spokeswoman for the BC Coroners Service, said an investigation will determine whether there need to be more fail-safe measures in the sport.
Theres nothing to suggest this is anything but a very tragic accidental death, she said. We need to know what happened; what went wrong.
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