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Tandem HG Pilot who's Passenger Fell to her Death (not hooked in) pleads Guilty.
This was huge news, especially since the Pilot (if I recall correctly) tried to eat the memory chip from the video camera recording the flight. That resulted in an immediate air of presumed guilt and negligence by attempting to destroy evidence. --- Additional things to think about for all of us who have video cameras running.
From the Oz Report v18, #29
John Orders pleads guilty
Tue, Feb 11 2014, 5:45:08 am AUSEST
Criminal negligence
One of the many articles HERE.
A British Columbia hang-glider pilot whose failure to hook in his passenger caused a dramatic mid-air struggle, which ended with the woman falling 300 metres to her death, pleaded guilty Friday to criminal negligence.
The probe also found Orders did not perform a pre-launch safety check, even though he had taken a tandem re-certification course just weeks earlier.
"His failing to connect her harness, his launching with Ms. Godinez-Avila without her being connected is a substantial departure from the standard of care you'd expect from a reasonably prudent pilot," Campbell said.
"It was unintentional."
Comments
"... a brief lapse of attention ..." From the article referenced above:
Orders is a 18-year hang-gliding veteran from New Zealand who has won many competitions and is known for being a safe pilot, his lawyer, Jeff Campbell, told the court. He said Godinez-Avila's death was caused by a "brief lapse of attention."
"His failing to connect her harness, his launching with Ms. Godinez-Avila without her being connected is a substantial departure from the standard of care you'd expect from a reasonably prudent pilot," Campbell said.
"It was unintentional."
Campbell said Orders is remorseful, pointing out that he publicly apologized to Godinez-Avila's family and friends shortly after her death. The court heard Orders abandoned hang-gliding after the incident and now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Orders, dressed in a black suit, addressed Godinez-Avila's family.
"I'm very sorry for what happened and your loss," he said, his voice trembling.
"I did tandem hang-gliding to make people proud of their accomplishments, that they may overcome fear of height, or live their dream of flying like a bird. All those previous flights mean nothing to me now."
A 5-month jail sentence for criminal negligence! Eating a camera memory chip, that certainly is an attempt to destroy evidence. A LOT of responsibility for a tandem HG pilot and you simply can NOT over look safety steps.
Lawyer gone wild-- suing the instructor & the sport’s governing associations
Hang gliding is unsafe. You got a problem with that?
The family of a 28-year-old Mexican woman killed while tandem hang-gliding is suing the instructor who was given five moths in jail for causing her death, as well as the sport’s governing associations.
The organizations are alleged to be endangering the public by not ensuring that launch and flying sites are chosen, constructed and operated in a safe manner.
The plaintiffs also claim the groups have demonstrated a “wanton and callous disregard for public safety” by “failing to ensure the public is advised that the inherently dangerous activity of hang gliding is being undertaken without government regulation, supervision and/or oversight.”
They are accused of “mandating and/or promoting and/or encouraging hang glider operators to conceal and/or not openly discuss hang gliding incidents that result in injury and/or death…”
The suit names William Jonathan Orders, business associate Shaun Wallace, their company Hurlstone Ventures Inc. (D.B.A. Vancouver Hang Gliding), the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada, the B.C. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, the West Coast Soaring Club, ABC Company, John and Jane Doe.
The article here.
From the Oz Report