Lenami Godinez-Avila: Hang glider's boyfriend screamed 'I love you' as she plummeted to her death

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Group of hang gliders planted tree in Lenami Godinez-Avila's honor yesterday
Canadian officers obtain video card which may hold clues to why Lenami died in the crash
Card had apparently been swallowed by Miss Godinez-Avila's instructor, Jon Orders
Released on bail on Friday

Published: 16:03 EST, 7 May 2012 | Updated: 10:23 EST, 8 May 2012

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The boyfriend of the hang glider who plummeted one thousand feet to her death last week screamed 'Hang on! I love you' while he watched helplessly as she died, witnesses revealed.

Hang-gliding enthusiasts gathered at the site of Lenami Godinez-Avila's death in a forest clearing near Agassiz, British Columbia, yesterday to pay their respects after the April 28 tragedy.

It was the first time the 27-year-old had ever experienced a hang glider and was part of the anniversary celebrations with her boyfriend David.

Victim: Lenami Godinez-Avila, 27, died in April after a freak hang gliding accident investigators say resulted from her pilot failing to strap her in

Charged: Hang glider pilot Jon Orders, since released on bail, faces a charge of attempted obstruction after swallowing a video card capturing the trip which police have since obtained

Scene: Hang gliders and emergency workers rush to where Lenami Godinez-Avila's body was found after she plummeted 1,000 feet to her death in what was her first hang gliding experience

On Saturday, a small group - most of whom had never met Lenami - erected a cross and planted a cherry blossom tree as a memorial, Canada's CTV reported.

Nicole McLearn who was there the day Lenami died said the couple were 'joyous' as they watched the other hang gliders take to the air, growing excited about their turn.

She told the Post Media News that as soon as she and instructor William Jonathan Orders became airbound, it was clear something was wrong.

She said: 'I could see her starting to slip down his body ... past the waist, down the legs. Finally she got to the feet and tried to hang on and obviously couldn't hang on for that much longer and let go, tearing off the tandem pilot's shoes in the process.'

Police investigating the death of Lenami Godinez-Avila, left, have seized a video card which they say had been swallowed by hang-glider pilot Jon Orders, right

Witness: Nicole McLearn said it became obvious as soon as they took off that something was not right as the instructor was horizontal and Lenami was hanging vertical

Usually an instructor and the student should be side by side, but Lenami was below him and it became obvious she was not hooked in.

Miss McLearn said it appeared that Godinez-Avila’s feet were dangling, meaning she was relying on her upper body to hold on and the instructor was trying to wrap his legs around her torso.

She was only in the air about 30 seconds before she died.

At the launch site, her boyfriend watched what was happening and screamed as she fell: 'No! Lenami! Hang on! I love you!'

Hang glider pilot Jon Orders has been held in custody following allegations that he swallowed a video card which may have recorded events leading up to the incident.

He was granted bail on Friday when he appeared in a provincial court in Chilliwack, British Columbia.

Earlier this week, Royal Canadian Mounted Police told a court that X-rays showed the card was inside Orders' body.

But officers confirmed yesterday that they now have the card.

'We have processes in place in order to try and extract what's been on the card that will not be further discussed at the moment,' Police Constable Tracy Wolbeck said.

Ms Wolbeck said police were focusing on answering questions from Miss Godinez-Avila's family, from Mexico.

Search for clues: Police examined the hang-glider after the body of Miss Godinez-Avila was found

Investigation: Police say they have reviewed the footage stored on the video card ingested by the pilot but have yet to release comment on their findings

'They've come to Canada in search of answers,' the police officer added.

Police have not provided any further details about when the card was consumed or how they learned about it.

They have also said they have seized video taken by the boyfriend on the ground.

Orders is a fully certified hang-gliding pilot and instructor with 16 years' experience.

His business website, Vancouver Hang Gliding, states that photos and video are available when people purchase a tandem hang-gliding trip.

When police announced the charge on Monday, they said Orders was accused of withholding key evidence.

The young woman's body was found in a forest clear cut below Mount Woodside, a popular spot for hang gliders to launch from above British Columbia's Fraser Valley.

Jason Warner, safety officer for the Hang Gliders and Paragliders Association of Canada, said that he spoke to Orders minutes after Godinez-Avila fell from the glider.

Accused: Orders, a fully certified hang-gliding pilot and instructor had 16 years' experience

Mr Warner said Orders told him he knew something was wrong almost immediately and tried desperately to hang on to the woman, who clung to his body and then slipped down his legs, taking one of Orders' shoes with her.

Miss Godinez-Avila, who was an administrator at the provincial Ministry of Environment, went hang gliding after her boyfriend bought her lessons for their anniversary.

He was video-recording the flight, but had stopped taping before she fell.

Friends of Miss Godinez-Avila have set up a memorial fund and scholarship to remember her.

One friend, Katherine Louman-Gardiner, told CTV News : 'She was a bright and caring, charismatic person and we miss her terribly.

'She loved contributing to the community around her.'

Miss Godinez-Avila's former professor at Simon Fraser University in Canada, Anil Hira, paid tribute to her.

'She was just starting out, she was extremely successful, someone who walks on air, very light-hearted but extremely capable.

'It's the last person you would want to see this happen to.'

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 in England.