Californian Dies in Australian Glider Accident

An American hang-glider was killed today as he tried to untangle his companion’s glider from power lines during a contest in northeastern Victoria state, police reported.

They did not identify the victim, but said he was trying to help his friend, Rick Rawlings of Los Angeles, during the final events of the Australian national hang-gliding championships at Mount Buffalo near Myrtleford.

In California, relatives of Dan Racanelli, 29, of Pacifica, said they had been notified that he had been killed as he tried to save Rawlings, who escaped uninjured. They said Racanelli was a former world champion in acrobatic hang gliding.

Craig Worth, the organizer of the event, gave this account, without identifying Racanelli by name:

Tangled in Power Lines

Rawlings’ glider became tangled in the power lines and his friend landed safely nearby to help free him. When he touched the snarled glider he was knocked to the ground by the high voltage and died instantly.

While Rawlings’ glider was suspended, “swinging in the breeze” below the power lines, he was in “no real danger.”

Rawlings freed himself from his harness and dropped safely to the ground, and was “not hurt at all.”

“The death was a sad and unfortunate accident,” Worth said. “The two men were not only hang-gliding companions, they were close friends.

“The death was indirectly related to the gliding component of the sport because gliders are often not fully aware of the potential landing dangers. The frustrating part of the incident was that neither of the men realized the danger involved in earthing the glider to the ground. They were not conscious the risk was there.”