&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Hours after wedding, Indian-origin pilot dies in US helicopter crash on way to honeymoon")
An Indian-origin man died in a helicopter crash in Georgia, United States, just hours after his marriage. The twenty-six-year-old victim, identified as Dave Fiji, a Delta Air Lines pilot, was from Kerala. Dave was on his way to his honeymoon with his bride when the aircraft Robinson R66 crashed near their Dawsonville wedding venue, according to media reports.
According to a report by Atlanta News First, the chopper pilot, whose name has not been released by officials yet, also died in the crash. Meanwhile, Dave Fiji's bride, Jessni, employed as a nurse, survived the crash and is recovering at a metro Atlanta hospital. "My son was so happy," George Fiji, Dave's father, told Atlanta News First.
The couple boarded the Robinson R66 helicopter
His father stated that Dave married Jessni on Friday, whom he met at New Testament Church almost 10 years ago. Nearly 400 guests attended their wedding at The Revere in Dawsonville. Following their wedding reception, the newly married couple boarded a Robinson R66 helicopter headed to DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, the second-busiest airport in Georgia. The flight was intended as a special post-wedding sendoff before the couple spent the night at a hotel in downtown Atlanta.
However, the helicopter never arrived at its destination. It crashed in a remote forested area of Dawson County near Mount Vernon Drive, a short distance from the wedding venue. According to George Fiji, officials took some time to locate the wreckage. During the search, Jessni, who sustained cuts and bruises in the crash, remained trapped inside the helicopter for nearly six hours before rescue teams reached her.
Trending Stories
)
Xi Jinping's new AI bloc: China launches 'World AI Body' with Pakistan and Russia in, India out
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the S-400 uses solid rocket fuel instead of liquid fuel
)
CORTIS' first-ever concert sparks backlash over repeated songs and short setlist
)
Explained: Why Rodri won the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball over Lionel Messi
)
Japan is selling a refrigerator to cool the human body for Rs 9 lakh. It is already a hit in Tokyo
)
Revealed! The hidden ritual Marc Cucurella performed before Spain won the FIFA World Cup
)
Mumbai court gives life sentences to 44 Somali pirates despite mercy plea
)
US-Iran conflicts: Houthis announce maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, Iran attacks MQ-9 drone hangar | Gravitas
)
‘Iran can survive sanctions, but can’t truly live’: Dy FM warns of economic cost of war
)
Sonam Wangchuk's connection with George Soros and Ford Foundation explained!
)
‘Netanyahu will not be arrested in any way, shape, or form in US’: Trump’s counter to Mamdani
)
FACT CHECK: Was Abhijit Dipke detained during CJP's Parliament march? Here's what police say
)
'There is no need for...': PM Modi takes a veiled dig at Rahul Gandhi, sends big message amid Parliament March
)
UP BTech gold medalist dies by suicide after failing in nearly 50 govt job attempts, leaves note for father
)
'Could be bombed at any moment': What Iran's Araghchi told Trump envoy Witkoff during negotiations
)
Jail over Khamenei post: J&K youth returns home after 3 months in Saudi custody
)
Salman Khan breaks silence on health concerns after viral Mumbai appearance
)
'George Soros playbook': Understanding the foreign funding network around Sonam Wangchuk
)
Indus treaty can no longer function in its current form, says India; plans 5,500 mw of new J&K hydro projects
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
2026 FIFA World Cup awards: Full list of Golden Boot, Golden Ball, Golden Glove and every major winner
)
US-Iran war: Report suggests US lost 42 aircraft, including fighter jets, reaper drones
)
JD and Usha Vance welcome fourth child: Who serves as acting US vice president during Vance's paternity leave?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Spain World Cup victory parade in Madrid: Champions celebrate second FIFA World Cup title with over million fans
)
Heavy sanctions loom over Argentine players after ugly brawl following final whistle in World Cup final
)
As Russia pounds Ukraine, Kyiv grapples with a growing manpower shortage in the military | Gravitas
)
Truck loaded with stones, metro stations closed: What's happening at Jantar Mantar now
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why US fighter jets use seamless bubble canopies compared to Russian jets
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the F-22’s cockpit glass is thicker than a standard fighter jet
)
Student union leaders call off hunger strike at Jantar Mantar after civil society appeal, but protest continues
)
Tulsi Gabbard's brother Batarti accused of luring children to hotel room in Hawaii
)
Argentina's racism problem: How football chants reflect a deeper historical legacy
)
US strikes Iran, sirens heard in Kuwait, one American soldier killed in Iraq: What's happening in West Asia
)
'What is wrong...': Anna Hazare breaks silence on Sonam Wangchuk's protest, makes an appeal to Centre
"She said when she woke up, she saw my son Dave resting on her bosom. She saw blood on him, and by then his body was completely cold. She's a nurse, so she knew he was gone," George Fiji said. "She's devastated, but she's recovering," he added.
According to his father, Dave was worried about the weather before the takeoff. "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," George Fiji said. However, the Robinson R66 pilot reportedly assured him that they would fly at a higher altitude. In response, the National Transportation Safety Board has launched a probe into the crash, but it has still not yet determined the real cause of the helicopter crash.
