Memory Card Recovered Thursday

The hang glider pilot who was involved in a tragic accident in which a woman fell to her death was held in jail until a camera memory chip he swallowed passed through his system.

The pilot, 50-year-old William Orders, was arrested last Saturday after the accident. Video was also seized from the boyfriend of Lenami Godinez-Avila, who fell from her harness during the tandem flight and was seen trying to hold on to Orders before falling from the aircraft during a flight in Canada. Orders was charged with obstructing justice and withholding evidence.

The Globe and Mail newspaper reports that officials said Thursday that the chip was "no longer in his system." He was scheduled for a bail hearing Friday afternoon.

Mr. Orders' attorney said that his client was cooperating fully with investigators, who monitored the passage of the chip through his digestive tract with a series of X-rays.

It is unclear what kind of condition the chip would be in after passing through his system. Orders is described by the paper as a fully-certified hang-gliding pilot and instructor. He has been participating in the sport around the world for 16 years.

A member of the Hang-Gliders and Para-Gliders association of Canada told the paper he had spoken with Orders just after the accident occurred. Jason Warner said Orders had said he knew there were problems almost immediately after takeoff, and that he had "desperately" tried to hang on the the woman. She eventually lost her grip on Orders' legs, taking one of his shoes with him as she fell.

FMI: www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/index-eng.htm