A 61-year-old Aptos man died after flying his motorized glider
into electrical lines during a flying demonstration after a
wedding, friends and the coroner’s office said.
A 61-year-old Aptos man died after flying his motorized glider into electrical lines during a flying demonstration after a wedding, wedding attendees and the coroner’s office said.
Danny Franklin White was flying his ultralight glider above a wedding party at Bonacich Ranch in unincorporated southwest Gilroy about 8 p.m. Saturday and crashed into a set of electrical lines, said George Bonacich, who owns the ranch.
“It was awful,” said Sam Hassas, the photographer at the wedding. “It sounded like a very big tear.”
Although White was still alive and speaking, he was injured badly, Bonacich said. White was taken by helicopter to Valley Medical Center in San Jose, where he died soon after, according to the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office.
“Throughout the whole thing, it did not look terminal, it looked like he was going to pull through,” Hassas said.
The coroner was “unsure if (White’s death) was caused by electrocution, contact with the power lines or trauma” – including hitting the ground – according to a report. The ground where White landed was sloped and White tumbled after he fell, Hassas said.
After White fell, Raven Bonacich – the groom and George Bonacich’s grandson – made a tourniquet for White, Hassas said.
Earlier that evening, Raven Bonacich married Joan Chapman at Bonacich Orchards, 7285 Pacheco Pass Highway, George Bonacich said. White surprised and delighted guests, who stood and pointed, by showing up to the wedding in the glider, Hassas said.
White was Raven Bonacich’s high school teacher in Santa Cruz. White also shared a passion for flying with Raven Bonacich, who pilots F-16 fighter jets for the U.S. Air Force.
“He was just a good part of his life,” George Bonacich said. “It was such a tragic thing.”
Details of White’s planned memorial service were not available by posting time.
More details on the accident and White’s life will be posted as information becomes available.
