An Indian-origin man who had just celebrated his wedding was among two people killed when a helicopter carrying the newlywed couple crashed in Georgia, according to US media reports.
Dave Fiji, 25, an Atlanta resident and a pilot with Delta Air Lines, died in the crash of a five-seater Robinson chopper near Dawsonville in Dawson County on Friday. His bride, Jessni, survived with injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital, where she remains under treatment. The helicopter pilot was also killed.
The couple had married earlier that day at The Revere, a wedding and events venue near Dawsonville. According to family members, hundreds of guests attended the ceremony.
Dave’s parents, George and Pheba Fiji, emigrated from Muvattupuzha in Kerala’s Ernakulam to the US many years ago, per Manorama Online. Jessni’s family also has roots to Kerala, in Alappuzha district.
"He was a precious child, he was a gift from God for us... So handsome, beautiful," George Fiji told Atlanta News First .
"We could say it was the perfect wedding. We couldn’t ask for anything more," he said.
Then things went terribly wrong.
The newlyweds were scheduled to leave the venue by helicopter and fly to Peachtree-DeKalb Airport before spending the night at a hotel in downtown Atlanta. But weather conditions had deteriorated by the end of the reception.
George Fiji said the celebrations wrapped up around 9:30 pm and fog and rain had reduced visibility. Dave, an experienced commercial pilot, was uneasy about flying in such conditions.
"He said I wouldn’t fly, we would not fly in this visibility," his father recalled.
Despite those concerns, the helicopter departed after the pilot reportedly decided to fly at a higher altitude. The aircraft later crashed in a rugged, densely wooded and mountainous area southwest of Dawsonville.
George Fiji said Jessni remained trapped beneath wreckage and fallen trees for nearly five hours before rescuers reached her.
"She said when she woke up, she was under the rubble," he said. "She woke up and saw him lying on her chest. She herself is a nurse. When she touched him, she called out to him. He was already cold."
Jessni suffered extensive cuts and bruises but did not sustain any broken bones. However, she is “devastated” by Dave’s loss, George Fiji said.
According to WALB News, the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office said it received a report late on Friday about a possible downed helicopter. The Federal Aviation Administration later confirmed that a Robinson R66 crashed around 10:30 pm near Dawsonville with three people on board.
A resident living near the crash site told Atlanta News First that rescue crews faced extremely difficult terrain.
"Took them about six hours to recover the survivor," he said, adding that first responders had to use off-road vehicles and cut through dense vegetation to reach the wreckage.
Andy Whitaker, director of operations for Prestige Helicopters, which owns the aircraft, described the accident as unprecedented for the company. He said the operator had maintained a clean safety record for four decades and that the pilot was familiar with the route.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days.
Source: India Today
