TRUJILLO, Honduras - A British Columbia woman says her pilot brother was killed in a plane crash in Honduras on Saturday.
In a phone interview on Sunday, Jenna Forseth confirmed her brother Patrick was killed in the crash in the Roatan area, a popular island destination for tourists to the Central American country.
She said her brother was raised in Abbotsford, which is also where he was trained as a pilot. He had been splitting time between B.C. and Honduras, where his parents own a small hotel called Tranquility Bay.
The family is highly involved in charitable efforts in the area around the hotel, and Jenna Forseth said her brother’s death will leave a hole in the local community.
“He was a really good pilot and a really good person,” she said. “He’ll be so, so very missed. There’s a lot of people - not just family but so many people - that say that life will just simply not be the same without him.”
Edil Mendez, a friend and coworker of Patrick Forseth’s in the area, had similar thoughts about the pilot’s death. Mendez told CTV News his friend was a hero in that part of Honduras.
“He was such a great pilot,” he said. “He’s really known by the Honduran community, the aviation community. Everyone here is in disbelief at what happened. On a perfect day for flying, you know? It was a clear day.”
Mendez said he and Forseth worked together providing medical evacuation services in the area. He said the deceased pilot helped “hundreds” of people.
“He really loved what he was doing, flying,” Mendez said. “He was always excited to fly.”
Forseth also owned a restaurant in Trujillo, a port city on the northern coast of Honduras, and had plans to add another aircraft to his fleet this month, Mendez said.
Earlier on Sunday, Global Affairs Canada confirmed a Canadian citizen had died in the crash, but did not identify them due to privacy concerns.
Stefano Maron said consular officials in the capital, Tegucigalpa, were in contact with local authorities and providing assistance to the victim's family.
The Associated Press reports that the other victims of the crash were the plane's four American passengers, citing an Armed Forces spokesman.
The Piper Cherokee Six plummeted into the Atlantic shortly after takeoff from Roatan en route to Trujillo.
Jenna Forseth said her brother was “well-loved” in the area, saying “the whole town is in mourning.”
“He’s just everybody’s favourite person,” she told CTV News. “He walks into a room and he makes everyone laugh and he makes everyone feel good about themselves and loved. He’s always there for everyone.”
Maron added that Global Affairs's thoughts are with the Canadian citizen's friends and family.
The Honduran military said in a statement that rescue boats with police divers and firemen recovered four bodies within minutes of the crash, and transported another to a hospital, where he died shortly after of internal injuries.
The U.S. State Department also confirmed the deaths of four American citizens.
With files from the Canadian Press and the Associated Press
