Family Member: Plane Crash Victims Loved Outdoors
GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. (AP) — A family member of two of three Minnesota residents killed in plane crash in northwestern Ontario described all three Sunday as adventurous souls who loved the outdoors.
Canadian authorities identified the victims as 41-year-old pilot Nikolas Rajala, his wife 40-year-old Teresa Rajala and their friend 36-year-old Lynn Bohanon, all of Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
Police say the three were staying at a fishing lodge in the area, and were on a fishing trip when the crash occurred just after 4 p.m. Friday on Chappie Lake, south of Kenora, Ontario.
"It's devastating to lose the most beautiful of people all at once," said Nikolas Rajala's sister, Allison Rajala Ahcan, 51, of Grand Rapids, who also knew Bohanon.
She said every weekend her brother and his wife would be doing something outdoors related. They would fly all over, even on evenings during the week, but they particularly loved Ontario, she said.
She described her brother and sister-in-law as having "lived large lives" and being very generous. She said her brother and his fraternal twin are the youngest of five children.
Nikolas Rajala owned Pohl Creek Logging in Grand Rapids and his wife Teresa worked in retail and loved gardening. Lynn Bohanon was also a pilot and she and her boyfriend had sold the plane to Nikolas Rajala, Ahcan said.
"They all were adventurous," Ahcan said
"We are all surprised by how far and wide we are hearing from people who are devastated, how much they meant to so many people," she said.
Ontario Provincial Police and the Canadian Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.
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