Just hours after getting married, an Indian-origin pilot, on the way to his honeymoon with his wife, was tragically killed in a helicopter crash in Georgia, according to US media reports.ย ย The helicopter pilot was also killed in the accident.
Dave Fiji, 25, an Atlanta resident with roots in Kerala and a pilot with Delta Air Lines, died when a five-seater Robinson helicopter crashed near a Dawsonville wedding venue in Dawson County on Friday. His wife, Jessni, who had reportedly married him only hours earlier, survived the crash with injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital, where she remains under treatment, according to Atlanta News First.
The couple had a lavish wedding at The Revere in Dawsonville, which was attended by hundreds of guests. “My son was so happy,” said Dave’s father, George Fiji.
The crashโ
“I was just standing there watching my son and admiring him. He looked so handsome,” George said. He further saidย that the couple met through church connections between South Carolina and Georgia and eventually became, as George described them, “friends who decided to become life partners.”
Soon after, Dave and Jesni said, “I do,” they boarded a Robinson R66 helicopter bound for DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.
ย According to the family members, the flight was intended as a special sendoff before the newlyweds spent the night at a downtown Atlanta hotel.
Unfortunately, the helicopter never reached the destination and crashed in a heavily wooded area near the wedding venue. As per the neighbours, the aircraft went down a 10,000-acre tract owned by the City of Atlanta and managed by the state as a wildlife management area.
The helicopter never reached its destination and crashed in a heavily wooded area not far from the wedding venue. As per the neighbors, the aircraft went down on a 10,000-acre tract owned by the City of Atlanta and managed by the state as a wildlife management area.
“It took them a while to locate the helicopter itself,” George Fiji said.
Wife survives
According to George, Jesni remained trapped in the wreckage for nearly six hours before rescuers found her.
She survived, but her husband and the pilot did not.
“She said when she woke up she saw my son Dave resting on her bosom,” George said. “She saw blood on him, and by then his body was completely cold. Sheโs a nurse, so she knew he was gone.”
George said his daughter-in-law suffered cuts and bruises but no broken bones. “She’s devastated, but sheโs recovering,” he said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash and has not yet determined what caused the helicopter to go down.
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