Lenami Godinez has been identified as the female hang-glider who suffered a fatal fall near Agassiz, Saturday.
Photograph by: Screengrab, LinkedIn.com
The pilot involved in Saturday's tragic hang-gliding accident near Agassiz, William Johnathan Orders, 50, of Burnaby, is shown in a photo from his website.
The pilot involved in Saturday's tragic hang-gliding accident near Agassiz, William Johnathan Orders, 50, of Burnaby, is shown in a photo from his website.
The pilot involved in Saturday's tragic hang-gliding accident near Agassiz, William Johnathan Orders, 50, of Burnaby, is shown in a photo from his website.
William (Jon) Orders, 50, of Burnaby, was arrested shortly after the incident, in which 27-year-old Lenami Godinez became detached from the glider and fell 300 metres to her death.
RCMP Cpl. Tammy Hollingsworth said the charge against Orders is in connection with “an allegation that he withheld potential key evidence which could help determine whether he played a role in any wrongdoing.”
She wouldn’t give further details. Orders has been remanded in custody until Wednesday when he will appear in Chilliwack Provincial Court.
Orders, who runs Vancouver Hang Gliding and has 16 years experience, was piloting a tandem glider on Mount Woodside near Agassiz when Godinez started to fall shortly after launch. While Orders struggled to hold on to the young woman, she clutched desperately at the pilot, even grabbing his feet, before she fell.
Her body was found seven hours later in a clearcut, about 20 metres from one of Orders’ shoes, after an extensive search.
The Agassiz RCMP and the B.C. Coroner’s Service are investigating.
“This is an absolutely tragic accident, there are really no other words to describe it,” Hollingsworth said.
“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.”
The accident was a tragic end to what was an anniversary present to Godinez from her boyfriend, who was filming her as she started her inaugural flight.
Michelle Nilson, a Simon Fraser University professor who had worked and socialized with Godinez, said days before the flight the young woman had posted on her Facebook site: “We’re going hang-gliding.”
“For it to end like this ...,” Nilson said in an interview. “No matter who would have been in this accident, it would have been tragic. But it’s especially tragic because of who Lenami was. She was such a diplomatic, sweet and amazing person to work with.
“With her there were so many ways in which that came through.”
Nilson said she didn’t know Godinez well, but noted the young woman’s quick smile, comforting nature and generous spirit drew people to her.
When Godinez, who had worked as an assistant at SFU, left to take a job as a communications specialist at the 2010 Olympics, her co-workers threw her a party — something that is rarely done.
“She was one of the few people we celebrated,” Nilson said. “It was really such an honour to work with her.
“She made people feel comfortable in a way that was quite rare.”
A Facebook memorial site set up in Godinez’s memory reflects similar sentiments.
Godinez, who was originally from Mexico but had lived the past nine years in Vancouver, was described by friends and co-workers as a warm, thoughtful and adventurous young woman, who loved the outdoors and the environment.
Godinez’s last job was as section head of administrative services for the South Coast Region at B.C.’s Ministry of Environment.
“Lenami — although the time that we knew each other was relatively short, I feel blessed to have known your kind heart, pure soul and deep passion for environmental change,” wrote Alina Cheng. “May your spirit soar and serve as a guiding light for others to follow.”
http://www.edmontonjournal.com
CHILLIWACK, B.C.—A man who piloted the hang glider from which a Vancouver woman fell to her death has been charged with obstructing justice over allegations he withheld evidence in her death.
RCMP Cpl. Tammy Hollingsworth says 50-year-old William Orders is accused of withholding potential evidence that could help determine whether he played a role in any wrongdoing.
Orders told witnesses after Saturday’s incident that he tried desperately to hold on to the woman shortly after the hang glider set off over the Fraser Valley.
Twenty-seven-year-old Lenami Godinez was killed when she fell about 300 metres from the glider seconds after it took off from Mount Woodside.
Godinez and her boyfriend bought the hang-gliding experience to celebrate their anniversary and her boyfriend was waiting for his turn when he saw the young woman fall.
Hollingsworth says Orders is being held in custody until he faces the charge in court on May 2.
Lenami Godinez has been identified as the female hang-glider who suffered a fatal fall near Agassiz, Saturday.
Photograph by: Screengrab , Linkedin.com
Shocking Hang Gliding Death Moments After Takeoff by tvnportal
Both the coroner and hang gliding experts are baffled as to how a young woman fell 300 metres to her death while on a tandem flight in the Fraser Valley.
The accident on Saturday afternoon claimed the life of Lenami Godinez, 27, who has lived in Canada for nine years since moving from Mexico. Godinez worked as an administrator with the provincial government.
Godinez was with her boyfriend and it was the first time she had ever been on a hang glider.
But according to Jason Warner, a spokesman for the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada (HPAC), the pilot was very experienced.
Warner also said those in the industry believe the accident is the first of its type ever in Canada.
The tragedy unfolded shortly after the two went into the air at Mount Woodside in the Fraser Valley, near Agassiz.
Somehow after takeoff, as the glider was about 300 metres from the ground, Godinez slipped out of the harness system in place to hold her onto the glider.
As she broke free, she grabbed onto the pilot’s legs in desperation, pulling his shoes off his feet as she lost hold.
It was those running shoes that fell from the sky that eventually helped search and rescue workers locate Godinez, who fell into a heavily wooded area.
Warner said a member of the search party first found a shoe and it helped lead them to Godinez.
He insists the pilot was well trained and experienced in tandem flights.
“At this point it is being looked at if it was pilot error or equipment error,” he said.
Warner said the pilot desperately tried to hold onto the woman as she broke free.
“The pilot did everything he could to hang onto her,” he said.
Warner believes this is the first fatality stemming from a flight with two people.
“This has never happened in Canada before,” he said.
Barb McLintock of the B.C. Coroner Service said a coroner was on the scene and the cause of the tragedy has yet to be determined.
The sport of hang gliding is not regulated like the airplane industry, she notes.
“We will do a very thorough investigation into this unfortunate accident,” she said. “We have a bunch of questions and no answers at this point,” she said.
”Obviously we have to look at the (harness) systems in place and are there enough systems,” she said.
McLintock said she too has not heard of any tandem hang gliding fatalities.
“Nobody can remember a tandem accident like this,” she said. “They have fail-safe systems. It is too early to know what went wrong.”
Search and rescue volunteers took several hours to find the woman’s body in the area below Mount Woodside. The site is a popular launching pad for hang gliders.
VANCOUVER — A female hang-glider, who detached from a tandem flight shortly after launch near Agassiz Saturday, tried desperately to cling to the pilot’s feet before falling 300 metres to her death.
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.
Godinez’s body was found by searchers about seven hours later, about 20 metres from one of the pilot’s shoes.
“[The
pilot] realized right away from take-off that something was wrong and
he tried to grab her,” Warner said. “The shoe ended up being a clue to
finding her.”
Upper Fraser Valley RCMP Sgt. Mark Pelz said police
had received a call shortly before noon Saturday that a woman riding
tandem on a glider had fallen.
Police, aided by helicopter, search and
rescue teams from 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 didn’t link it to the pilot until just
before the search was to be called off.
Warner said they retraced
their steps and found Godinez, who is originally from Mexico but has
lived in Canada for nine years. She had worked for the administrative
services south coast region division at B.C. Ministry of Environment.
A
base for the search was set up at the Koffee Kettle Motel. Owner Dahlia
Simper said the woman’s boyfriend watched in horror as just a few
minutes into the flight she fell out of her harness and grabbed the
pilot until she could no longer hold on to him and fell.
“It’s really sad,” she said.
Simper, who has owned the motel for 10 years, said there have been several hang gliding accidents in the area in recent years.
Warner,
safety officer for the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of
Canada, said he can’t 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 proper prepare
for takeoff. Earlier this month, a paraglider crash-landed into a tree
near Agassiz after jumping off Mount Woodside.
Warner said HPAC is
considering new safety measures following Saturday’s tragedy. “We’re
now strongly encouraging the buddy system where somebody looks at your
equipment before you launch,” he said.
Warner said the pilot is
emotional and upset. He has apologized to the woman’s boyfriend and both
are receiving support from victim’s services. It was the woman and her
boyfriend’s first time trying the sport, said Warner.
“At this point there is an investigation so we don’t know if it was a pilot error or an equipment failure,” he said.
The BC Coroner’s Service is investigating.
Barb
McLintock, spokeswoman for the BC Coroner’s Service, said an
investigation will determine whether there needs to be more fail-safe
measures in the sport. “There’s nothing to suggest this is anything but a
very tragic accidental death,” she said. “We need to know what
happened; what went wrong.”
Pelz said the police aren’t
investigating criminal charges but that could be a possibility as well
as potential civil implications because the pilot was contracted to
provide the service.
Fall from hang glider kills woman
Grabbed pilot's shoe as she fell
RCMP remove a hang glider from Mt. Woodside near Harrison Mills Saturday after a passenger in a tandem flight fell from the craft. Search crews found her body late last night.
RCMP remove a hang glider from Mt. Woodside near Harrison Mills Saturday after a passenger in a tandem flight fell from the craft. Search crews found her body late last night.
A woman was killed when she plummeted into a heavily treed area near Harrison Mills after becoming detached during a tandem hang gliding excursion Saturday.
The Vancouver woman, who is believed to be in her 20s and originally from Mexico, had just taken off with a guide around noon from the popular Mt. Woodside launch point when she fell an estimated 300 metres to the rough terrain below.
"Within 30 seconds of takeoff the pilot realized something was wrong" and tried to wrap his legs and desperately hold on to the passenger, said Jason Warner, spokesman for the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada (HPAC).
"I don't think she would have known what was happening [at first]," he added. "[The pilot] tried everything."
The woman's boyfriend, who had purchased the excursion as an anniversary gift, was filming from the launch point with the pilot's family as they watched in horror as she desperately grabbed onto the pilot's feet as she tumbled.
The "completely distraught" pilot, who's birthday was also yesterday, was able to land safely, said Warner. Police aided by helicopter, Chilliwack Search and Rescue, Kent-Harrison Search and Rescue, as well as local paragliders combed the hilly terrain about eight kilometres west of Agassiz.
The search was stymied until a paraglider mentioned he had found a man's shoe earlier in the day, but had dismissed it.
The shoe belonged to the pilot of the ill-fated flight and, using it as a reference point, rescue crews found the woman's body at about 7: 30 p.m. and called the B.C. Coroner's Service. It is not known if the accident was a result of an equipment failure or pilot error.
Warner said the tragedy is believed to be the first such hang gliding accident of its kind in Canada. HPAC will be reviewing its safety standards and licensing as a result, he said.
RCMP remove a hang glider from Mt. Woodside near Harrison Mills Saturday after a passenger in a tandem flight fell from the craft. Search crews found her body late last night.
A woman was killed when she plummeted into a heavily treed area near Harrison Mills after becoming detached during a tandem hang gliding excursion Saturday.
The Vancouver woman, who is believed to be in her 20s and originally from Mexico, had just taken off with a guide around noon from the popular Mt. Woodside launch point when she fell an estimated 300 metres to the rough terrain below.
"Within 30 seconds of takeoff the pilot realized something was wrong" and tried to wrap his legs and desperately hold on to the passenger, said Jason Warner, spokesman for the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada (HPAC).
"I don't think she would have known what was happening [at first]," he added. "[The pilot] tried everything."
The woman's boyfriend, who had purchased the excursion as an anniversary gift, was filming from the launch point with the pilot's family as they watched in horror as she desperately grabbed onto the pilot's feet as she tumbled.
The "completely distraught" pilot, who's birthday was also yesterday, was able to land safely, said Warner. Police aided by helicopter, Chilliwack Search and Rescue, Kent-Harrison Search and Rescue, as well as local paragliders combed the hilly terrain about eight kilometres west of Agassiz.
The search was stymied until a paraglider mentioned he had found a man's shoe earlier in the day, but had dismissed it.
The shoe belonged to the pilot of the ill-fated flight and, using it as a reference point, rescue crews found the woman's body at about 7: 30 p.m. and called the B.C. Coroner's Service. It is not known if the accident was a result of an equipment failure or pilot error.
Warner said the tragedy is believed to be the first such hang gliding accident of its kind in Canada. HPAC will be reviewing its safety standards and licensing as a result, he said.
Read more: http://www.theprovince.com
Woman falls to her death from hang glider
Boyfriend looks on in horror as accident happens just after takeoff
A female hang glider detached from a tandem flight shortly after launching Saturday near Agassiz and plummeted to her death in a heavily treed area.
The Vancouver woman, who is believed to be in her 20s, had just taken off with a guide around noon Saturday when she fell an estimated 300 metres.
"Within 30 seconds of takeoff, the pilot realized something was wrong" and tried to wrap his legs around the passenger in a desperate attempt to hold on, said Jason Warner, spokesman for the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada.
"[The pilot] tried everything."
The young woman's boyfriend, who had reportedly purchased the excursion as an anniversary gift, was filming from the launch point with the pilot's family.
They watched in horror as she desperately grabbed onto the pilot's feet as she tumbled.
The "completely distraught" pilot, who was celebrating his birthday Saturday, was able to land safely, said Warner.
Police aided by helicopter, Chilliwack search and rescue, Kent-Harrison search and rescue, as well as local paragliders, combed the hilly terrain about eight kilometres west of Agassiz and below the popular rockface launch point.
The search was stymied until a paraglider mentioned he had found the pilot's shoe from the ill-fated flight earlier in the day, but had dismissed it.
Using the shoe as a reference point, the RCMP and search-and-rescue crews found the woman's body at about 7: 30 p.m.
Dehlia Simper, owner of the Koffee Kettle Motel, the base for the search, said there have been several hang-gliding accidents in the area in recent years.
It is not currently known if the accident was the result of an equipment or pilot failure.
Warner said the tragedy is believed to be the first hang-gliding accident of its kind in Canada.
The Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada will be reviewing its safety standards and licensing as a result, he said.
The Vancouver woman, who is believed to be in her 20s, had just taken off with a guide around noon Saturday when she fell an estimated 300 metres.
"Within 30 seconds of takeoff, the pilot realized something was wrong" and tried to wrap his legs around the passenger in a desperate attempt to hold on, said Jason Warner, spokesman for the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada.
"[The pilot] tried everything."
The young woman's boyfriend, who had reportedly purchased the excursion as an anniversary gift, was filming from the launch point with the pilot's family.
They watched in horror as she desperately grabbed onto the pilot's feet as she tumbled.
The "completely distraught" pilot, who was celebrating his birthday Saturday, was able to land safely, said Warner.
Police aided by helicopter, Chilliwack search and rescue, Kent-Harrison search and rescue, as well as local paragliders, combed the hilly terrain about eight kilometres west of Agassiz and below the popular rockface launch point.
The search was stymied until a paraglider mentioned he had found the pilot's shoe from the ill-fated flight earlier in the day, but had dismissed it.
Using the shoe as a reference point, the RCMP and search-and-rescue crews found the woman's body at about 7: 30 p.m.
Dehlia Simper, owner of the Koffee Kettle Motel, the base for the search, said there have been several hang-gliding accidents in the area in recent years.
It is not currently known if the accident was the result of an equipment or pilot failure.
Warner said the tragedy is believed to be the first hang-gliding accident of its kind in Canada.
The Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada will be reviewing its safety standards and licensing as a result, he said.
Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com
Investigators have found the body of a
woman missing after she fell from a hang glider during a tandem flight
on Saturday afternoon.
The passenger, whose name has not been released, took off with a professional glider from Woodside Mountain, British Columbia.
She is believed to have fallen from the aircraft after a harness came loose, sending her plummeting 1,000ft.
Local News1130.com reported it was the woman's first time hang gliding.
Kent Harrison Search and Rescue received an emergency call at about 12:15pm after the incident, near Harrison Mills.
About 40 people were involved in the search.
It was not clear what caused the woman to fall from the harness.
Jason
Warner, the safety director of the Hang Glider and Paraglider
Association of Canada, told CBC News the accident happened within 30
seconds of takeoff.
According to News1130 the pilot was uninjured, but was described as being in a state of 'shock'.
'He doesn't know what's up and down at the moment,' Mr Warner said.
His name was not released.
The area is a popular one for beginners, who frequently learn to hang glide and paraglide on tandem rides.
Warner described the incident as 'uncommon'.
The woman's death marks the second high-profile fatality related to hang gliding in recent months.
In
October, 16-year-old Lois Preston, described as an experienced pilot,
died from injuries sustained when her glider crashed in Ashbourne,
Derbys.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
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