Hang-Gliding Pilot Eats Evidence After Fatal Accident

Police probing a tragic hang-gliding death in Canada say the pilot involved swallowed key evidence after his passenger's death. William Orders, owner-operator of a hang-gliding company in Vancouver, was on a tandem flight with a 27-year-old woman when she became detached and fell a thousand feet to her death. Her boyfriend saw her tumble out of her harness soon after take-off, clinging to the instructor's feet before falling. Police say Orders swallowed a memory card with digital video of the flight and X-rays have revealed that it is still inside him, the Globe and Mail reports.

Orders, who was responsible for safety-checking the glider and strapping his passenger in, has been charged with obstructing justice and has been denied bail until he passes the card. Police say he told them he knew something was wrong immediately after take-off and tried desperately to cling on to the woman. British Columbia's attorney general says the "absolutely horrific tragedy" has prompted her to look into regulations around hang-gliding, which is largely self-regulated in the province, the National Post reports. (More hang-gliding stories.)