Friends of Richmond plane crash co-pilot Matt Robic say news of his death on Wednesday is "heartbreaking."
The 26-year-old Burnaby resident who was badly burned in the Oct. 27 crash was remembered on Thursday as a "good and kind" man who was "driven" to follow his dream of being a pilot.
"The only things that really need to be said about Matt are that he was a wonderful human being, he had a big heart, and was so great at making anyone feel comfortable and welcome," said Alece Anderson, a local radio producer who grew up with Robic in Mission.
"Anyone who knew him also knew that he'd give you the shirt off his back if needed," said Anderson.
The co-pilot of Northern Thunderbird Air flight 206 died after nearly three weeks in intensive care at Vancouver General Hospital. He had burns to 80 per cent of his body.
"It's a really sad day for us. We really expected that he was going to recover. He was fighting very hard," Northern Thunderbird Air general manager Bill Hesse said yesterday.
"He was a real fit, vivacious young man and we were really hoping to see him pull through."
Hesse said Robic, who lived in Burnaby with his longtime girlfriend and had parents and a younger sister in Mission, had his family by his side when he passed away just after 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
Robic was hired by the company in June, a relatively new pilot with 1,400 hours of experience.
He was one of nine people pulled from a small plane that crashed and burst into flames just short of the airport on Russ Baker Way in Richmond on Oct. 27.
He was listed in critical but stable condition as recently as Nov. 7.
Robic's fellow pilot Luc Fortin, 44, died shortly after the crash of severe fire-related injuries.
Seven passengers were treated in hospital and have all since been released from hospital.
The Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the cause of the crash.
