Hang-glider dies after fall in BC

[Woxof38]

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Body+m ... story.html

[CFR]

I can only imagine the terror filled seconds this individual experienced. It is a nightmare come true!

[crazy_aviator]

The same day, the woman died, My condolences friends , i was up over coopers launch near Lumby BC soaring high with the birds and thinking " What are the chances i will sucessfully pull the chute if the Caribiner fails?" )
As a hang glider ( hang glider pilot if you may) I can attest to you that this sport is pretty safe ,,,and it can also be pretty dangerous IF you want it to be. BTW, I have more respect for hang glider pilots than powered A/C pilots, and i have more respect for private pilots than Commercial wannabees! I would know what im talking about as im also a Comm pilot and an AME ! Flame on little ones.

[Sulako]

I deleted a bunch of off-topic posts. Please keep this relevant to the topic at hand, which is the fatal accident featured in the OP's link.

[flyinthebug]

As terrible as this accident was for the young lady that lost her life, can you imagine watching the woman you love fall 300 meters to her death right in front of you? Wow, thats gotta be a bitter pill to swallow. My sincere condolences to the girls family, and in particular, her boyfriend. I saw a quick video of his face after walking out of his interview on site and the look on his face told the whole tale. Sad day for all involved.

[Rotten Apple #1]

The pilot has been charged with Obstruction of Justice.

[Old fella]

The pilot has been charged with Obstruction of Justice.

Hope this pilot contacts a Criminal Defense lawyer, makes no statements and asserts his constitutional rights(silence, self incrimination). Let the media,cops, aviation experts, talking heads blabber all they want. A court of law is where the statements/arguements matter(assuming it gets that far).

Personally I will never talk to cops or any member of the state until I consult a good lawyer. I am old, been around too long and have seen way to much to ever consider otherwise........

[jeta1]

.

[Rotten Apple #1]

Memory dump?

[Prairie Chicken]

TC doesn't regulate hand-gliding, skydiving, etc. They aren't about to start now. Hell, they hardly regulate airlines!

[iflyforpie]

What is it about BC and that segment of aviation anyway? Hot air balloons come crashing down in flames, gliders collide in midair, a paying passenger falls off a hang glider... I could easily find other recent examples... What is it about Lotus Land that makes it so more dangerous?

A few things. The availability of terrain attracts people from all over the world. Lots more things to jump off of in BC, lots more availability of wave and ridge lift as well. The terrain is also confining, not only for obstacles and the challenges of avoiding them but for places that are conducive to these activities (ie a flat and accessible place to land/launch). So it literally creates traffic jams in the skies and also increases risk due to the sheer amount of operations that there is going to be an incident.

[CpnCrunch]

The pilot has been charged with Obstruction of Justice.

Hope this pilot contacts a Criminal Defense lawyer, makes no statements and asserts his constitutional rights(silence, self incrimination). Let the media,cops, aviation experts, talking heads blabber all they want. A court of law is where the statements/arguements matter(assuming it gets that far).

Personally I will never talk to cops or any member of the state until I consult a good lawyer. I am old, been around too long and have seen way to much to ever consider otherwise........

Deliberately destroying evidence is not very smart, especially when you do it in such a dumb way. I wonder what this guy is trying to hide?

[Old fella]

The pilot has been charged with Obstruction of Justice.

Hope this pilot contacts a Criminal Defense lawyer, makes no statements and asserts his constitutional rights(silence, self incrimination). Let the media,cops, aviation experts, talking heads blabber all they want. A court of law is where the statements/arguements matter(assuming it gets that far).

Personally I will never talk to cops or any member of the state until I consult a good lawyer. I am old, been around too long and have seen way to much to ever consider otherwise........

Deliberately destroying evidence is not very smart, especially when you do it in such a dumb way. I wonder what this guy is trying to hide?

Goes back to my point. Who said it was deliberate and that hasn't been proven in a court of law as of yet. As for trying to hide, this pilot doesn't have to answer that as he isn't required to give evidence against himself. Wonder all you want.........

Ya have to get your mind out of Law and Order and the CSI stuff

[Cat Driver]

You never, never, never ever answer any question without a lawyer advising you...ever ever.

Remaining silent is your right under law.

And that is even more important if you get a phone call from TC enforcement.

I can attest to the stupidity of trying to answer their questions thinking it was just routine simple answers I was giving.

I do ask them one question though and it is " Do you have reason to believe I have committed an offense? "

Then I decide if I need a lawyer.

[Indanao]

Don't know why anyone would want to save the, " Pilot ". It is far to late to save the woman. Why tell him how to cover his tracks?

[Sulako]

Deliberately destroying evidence is not very smart, especially when you do it in such a dumb way. I wonder what this guy is trying to hide?

I kinda look at it like this: Either he's hiding something, or the footage he took of her last moments was so traumatizing that he doesn't want to relive it. I'm 50/50 either way, and either way it's for a court to decide.

What an awful situation. My heart goes out to the woman's loved ones and also to the glider pilot - I don't think he meant to hurt anyone, I think he was just trying to give a couple of people a thrill and maybe earn a few bucks in the process. Now his business is done, and he might do time - if he made a criminal mistake, that is.

[Cat Driver]

Any normal person would be so traumatized they may not even realize what they were doing after they landed the hang glider.

[CpnCrunch]

Any normal person would be so traumatized they may not even realize what they were doing after they landed the hang glider.

Yes, you're right - he maybe just panicked. Who knows what any of us would do in that situation?

[crazy horse]

I have a hard time buying the excuses for eating a video memory card. In times of stress people do strange things, but removing the card from the camera and then choking down the piece of plastic requires some train of thought.

I agree that he is innocent until proven otherwise and should consult a lawyer as was pointed out by others here. It just seems very suspicious to me.

[AirFrame]

I thought the footage on the news was strange... The pilot was being led to a waiting helicopter, with his hands held in what looked like a handcuffed position in front of his body... He wasn't clasping his hands or wringing them, they were just held "near" each other in front, and it looked like he was being led to the helicopter. I wonder if he didn't remember the camera until someone showed up (maybe the RCMP?) and saw it, and at that point he made a dash for the card and did the only thing he could think of... I hope he chewed before he swallowed.

[Broke4Sure]

I hope he chewed before he swallowed.

This is one guy I would never want to take to the air with after following the details of what took place. What surprises me is the number of people on the forum that seem to either condone his actions or would like to see a lawyer that would prevent the truth from coming out. Hopefully the comments were made tongue in cheek.

[Inverted2]

The truth will "come out" eventually.

[Indanao]

Any normal person would be so traumatized they may not even realize what they were doing after they landed the hang glider.

Yes, you're right - he maybe just panicked. Who knows what any of us would do in that situation?

Really. I, for one, wouldn't do that. It's entertaining to see the people who think they might. Maybe a normal person would admit if they made a mistake and face the music. But, you would have not to be amoral for that.

[Old fella]

I hope he chewed before he swallowed.

This is one guy I would never want to take to the air with after following the details of what took place. What surprises me is the number of people on the forum that seem to either condone his actions or would like to see a lawyer that would prevent the truth from coming out. Hopefully the comments were made tongue in cheek.

Ah……….. a dedicated watcher of Law and Order and all versions of CSI, not understanding in Canadian Jurisprudence Constitutional Rights are a given . No assumptions can be made and no prejudice against you for asserting your rights on whatever charge. Included of course is the ‘right to retain and instruct counsel” dumbing it down for you , I have nothing to say until I speak to my lawyer.

Now back to the tube you go.......

[crazy horse]

I don't watch TV so I am not sure what the reference to Law and Order is all about, but you would have to be extremely naive to think someone would accidentally open a camera, remove the memory card and swallow it. I get all the innocent until proven otherwise stuff, there is no argument there.