Plane crash kills 4 in family

Four members of a North Coast family were killed when their small plane crashed while preparing to land at a rural airstrip in Shasta County for the holiday weekend.

Pilot Keith Paulson, 61, his wife, Jaynie Paulson, 58, their son's longtime girlfriend, Jennifer Drake, 36, all of Albion, and their son-in-law, Vince Whiteley, 32, of Windsor died in Friday's crash about 70 miles east of Redding, according to the Shasta County Coroner's Office.

"It's just horrible," said Amy Whiteley, the Paulsons' daughter and Vince Whiteley's wife.

The four were arriving for a golf tournament in the small community of Fall River Mills when the single-engine Bonanza went down, she said.

Witnesses, including some pilots, reported the plane made a final turn to line up up with the runway at the county-run airport about 10:30 a.m., said Sheriff's Sgt. Marc St. Clair.

The plane then dove toward the ground, striking trees as it crashed and caught on fire in a wooded area about a half mile from the airport, he said.

The National Transportation Safety Board has been investigating the crash, but agency representatives could not be reached for comment Monday.

Keith and Jaynie Paulson owned a vacation home on the golf course in Fall River Mills and participated in the tournament there every year, their daughter said.

The Paulsons had lived on the Mendocino Coast since 1976 and owned Paulson Excavating, which contracted for large-scale construction projects.

Keith Paulson also was a golf coach at Mendocino High School and former Albion-Little River volunteer firefighter.

Jaynie Paulson was a former member of the Mendocino Unified School District board.

"They gave a lot to their community," said Susan McKinney, a friend of the couple and owner of the Little River Inn. "Everyone is reeling."

She described the couple as "upstanding, honest, reasonable and moderate."

Vince Whiteley, an Oregon native, was a graphic designer with a Santa Rosa marketing firm, Amy Whiteley said.

He loved architecture, and the family settled in Windsor, in part, because he admired its town square, she said.

The couple met while attending Pacific University, a small, private college near Portland. They then lived in Georgia while Vince earned a master's degree in illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

They were married 11 years and have three children - Jackson, 7, Anna, 5, and Lincoln, 11 months.

Drake was born and raised in Sacramento. She met the Paulsons' son, Bryan, when they both attended college in San Diego, Amy Whiteley said.

Drake and Paulson lived in Albion, where he worked in his family's excavating business. Drake was an avid gardener, cook and athlete. She hiked, skied, mountain-biked and golfed regularly with a group of friends.

Drake and Vince Whiteley frequently joined Keith and Jaynie Paulson on golf outings.

"They loved Jennifer and Vince like they were their own children," Amy Whiteley said.

For Friday's trip, the Paulsons and Drake flew from Mendocino County to Santa Rosa, where they picked up Vince Whiteley and headed to Shasta County.

Keith Paulson had 25 years of flying experience, friends and family said, and was a conservative pilot.

Amy Whiteley said her father never took risks while piloting, and the plane had undergone its annual safety inspection in April.

"We can't put any reason to it," she said. "This was a man who would not take any chances."

A service for the family will be held at the Little River Inn, 7901 Highway 1, at 5 p.m. Sunday.

An additional service for Vince Whiteley will be held for at 3 p.m. Thursday at Fritz Winery, 24691 Dutcher Creek Road, in Cloverdale, where mint juleps will be served in honor of the time he spent in Georgia.

"He loved the South," Amy Whiteley said.

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com