An Indian-origin Delta Air Lines pilot, 25-year-old Dave Fiji, tragically died in a helicopter crash in Georgia shortly after his wedding ceremony to Jessni, who survived the incident with injuries. The Robinson R66 helicopter, reportedly taking off for a special send-off from the wedding venue near Dawsonville with the newlywed couple on board, crashed into a wooded area due to worsened weather conditions and poor visibility, despite Dave Fiji himself, being a pilot, expressing concerns about the zero visibility. Authorities took six hours to rescue Jessni, who was trapped for hours before being hospitalized for cuts and bruises, while Dave Fiji, whose parents hail from Kerala, was pronounced dead at the scene, leaving his family devastated by the loss of their "precious child."

An Indian-origin Delta Air Lines pilot, 25-year-old Dave Fiji, tragically died in a helicopter crash in Georgia shortly after his wedding ceremony to Jessni, who survived the incident with injuries. The Robinson R66 helicopter, reportedly taking off for a special send-off from the wedding venue near Dawsonville with the newlywed couple on board, crashed into a wooded area due to worsened weather conditions and poor visibility, despite Dave Fiji himself, being a pilot, expressing concerns about the zero visibility. Authorities took six hours to rescue Jessni, who was trapped for hours before being hospitalized for cuts and bruises, while Dave Fiji, whose parents hail from Kerala, was pronounced dead at the scene, leaving his family devastated by the loss of their "precious child."

An Indian-origin Delta Air Lines pilot, 25-year-old Dave Fiji, tragically died in a helicopter crash in Georgia shortly after his wedding ceremony to Jessni, who survived the incident with injuries. The Robinson R66 helicopter, reportedly taking off for a special send-off from the wedding venue near Dawsonville with the newlywed couple on board, crashed into a wooded area due to worsened weather conditions and poor visibility, despite Dave Fiji himself, being a pilot, expressing concerns about the zero visibility. Authorities took six hours to rescue Jessni, who was trapped for hours before being hospitalized for cuts and bruises, while Dave Fiji, whose parents hail from Kerala, was pronounced dead at the scene, leaving his family devastated by the loss of their "precious child."

An Indian-origin pilot was killed in a helicopter crash in the US just hours after his marriage. The pilot of the craft also died in the crash, while the wife survived.

The groom, Dave Fiji, and his newlywed wife Jesni, had boarded the Robinson R66 helicopter on the night of their wedding. The chopper was headed to the DeKalb Peachtree Airport as part of a special send-off arranged after the ceremony, Atlanta news first reported.

However, weather conditions and visibility had worsened as the wedding reception ended.

The aircraft crashed into a heavily wooded area near the wedding venue shortly after takeoff at around 10 pm local time. Local authorities suggest that the poor weather conditions may have been the primary factor in the crash.

According to one man, it took authorities six hours to recover the survivor. First responders said that Dave and the pilot both sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.

The couple had tied the knot just hours before at a popular wedding venue near Dawsonville, Georgia.

Dave, 25, was a resident of Atlanta and a pilot with Delta Airlines. Family members say that he met Jesni, who is a nurse, through church connections between South Carolina and Georgia. They formed a friendship which eventually turned into a relationship.

David's parents, George Fiji and Pheba Fiji, hail from Muvattupuzha in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, while Jesni’s family hails from Alapuzha.

George Fiji said they were “friends who decided to become life partners.”

Jesni was hospitalised after the recovery due to injuries.

About 400 guests attended the ceremony, which they described as perfect.

"He was a precious child, he was a gift from God for us... So handsome, beautiful," George told local media while recalling his son. He said that his son was overjoyed on his wedding day. “My son was so happy. I was just standing there watching my son and admiring him,” he said.

George also said that his son had expressed concern about the low visibility before the aircraft took off.

“Since my son was a pilot, he told the pilot that there is zero visibility, and when there is zero visibility like this, we never fly.”

The pilot reportedly responded, saying they would fly at a higher altitude.

Fiji said that Jesni was trapped under the wreckage and the fallen trees for hours before she was rescued. Despite having cuts and bruises, she did not sustain any broken bones. Family members say that she is recovering but is devastated by the loss of her husband. 

“Without God, there would be many questions — why?” George told Atlanta News First. “God granted us a perfect wedding, and within a few hours, everything changed into tragedy. The only place we can find answers and peace is in God,” he added.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) assumed control of the site and has initiated a formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.

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