Tofino, B.C., plane crash victims identified online as California veterinarians
Tributes are pouring in online for the two men who died in a plane crash in Tofino, B.C. earlier this week.
The victims have been identified by community members as veterinarians from California: Frank Borostyankoi and Chris Biggerstaff. The pair were reportedly close friends on the way home from an annual fishing trip to B.C. when the engine of their small private plane caught fire during takeoff.
The third person aboard the six-seat plane was pulled out of the aircraft and taken to hospital with serious injuries.
“Chris was extraordinary human being,” reads a post on a Facebook page for the Modoc High School class of 1982. “His love of fishing took him everywhere and that’s what he was doing in Canada.”
“(Biggerstaff) will be missed by so many people in this world,” it says.
Dr. Chris Biggerstaff, one of the victims of a July 18 plane crash in Tofino, B.C., is pictured. (Modoc High School Class of 1982/Facebook)“It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Dr. Borostyankoi,” reads a post from Beach Boulevard Pet Hospital.
“He was a talented surgeon, great husband and father. Brilliant businessman and great friend! He will be truly missed.”
Dr. Frank Borostyankoi, one of the victims of a July 18 plane crash in Tofino, B.C., is pictured. (Bloomfield Animal Hospital/Facebook)Condolences posted online by various veterinary clinics in southern California indicate Biggerstaff and Borostyankoi were well-known orthopedic surgeons in the region.
The plane crashed on the runway at Long Beach Airport on Thursday shortly before 1 p.m. Local RCMP, the Transportation Safety Board and the BC Coroners Service are all involved in the investigation into the cause of the fatal crash.
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