Georgia groom killed, bride injured on wedding night when helicopter crashes in woods

A Georgia groom and a chopper aviator were reportedly killed Friday nighttime successful a harrowing wedding nighttime sendoff clang that near the surviving widow trapped for six hours aboriginal with her dormant hubby connected apical of her.

Newlywed woman Jesni Fiji, knocked retired from the tragic clang and reportedly surviving with nary breached bones and conscionable cuts and bruises, awoke Saturday greeting successful daze and fearfulness implicit what surrounded her, including her caller hubby Dave Fiji's body, the groom's begetter told Atlanta News First (ANF).

"She was crying connected the phone: What happened? What happened?" George Fiji told ANF, recounting the calamity with Jesni recovering successful a metro Atlanta hospital. "I didn't cognize what she was talking about."

The fateful Robinson R66 chopper sendoff for the young archetypal serviceman for Endeavor Air and his woman crashed successful a wooded country successful bluish Georgia connected Friday night. They were bound for DeKalb-Peachtree Airport to instrumentality the newlyweds to an Atlanta-area edifice aft their wedding celebration.

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A newlywed mates was aboard a chopper that crashed successful Dawson County, Georgia, aft leaving their wedding solemnisation Friday night. The aviator and groom, Dave Fiji successful inset image, were killed. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect | Endeavor Air)

"She said erstwhile she woke up she saw my lad Dave resting connected her bosom," George Fiji said. "She saw humor connected him, and by past his assemblage was wholly cold. She’s a nurse, truthful she knew helium was gone.

"She’s devastated, but she’s recovering," helium added.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the clang and has not determined what caused the chopper to spell down adjacent The Revere, a Dawsonville, Georgia, wedding venue hosting astir 400 guests, according to the report.

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"It took them awhile to find the chopper itself," George Fiji said.

The craft went down connected a 10,000-acre tract owned by the City of Atlanta and managed by the authorities arsenic a wildlife absorption area.

The upwind reportedly was tricky with rain, but the chopper aviator told the newlyweds they would alert astatine a higher altitude, according to the father.

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Dave Fiji's wedding nighttime sendoff turned tragic and claimed his life. (Endeavor Air)

"Since my lad was a pilot, helium told the aviator that determination is zero visibility and erstwhile determination is zero visibility similar this, we ne'er fly," George Fiji said, recalling the speech done his present widowed daughter-in-law.

Dave Fiji had wanted to alert since helium was 10 and became a archetypal serviceman for Delta Air Lines' Endeavor Air, readying a melodramatic wedding sendoff that turned tragic.

"My lad was truthful happy," George Fiji said.

Endeavor Air issued its condolences for Fiji, who started with Endeavor successful March 2025 and was based successful Atlanta.

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Endeavor Air is simply a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

"It is with heavy sadness that we stock the passing of Endeavor First Officer Dave Fiji," it wrote successful a connection to its employees. "Dave tragically mislaid his beingness successful a chopper mishap connected Friday, May 29, soon aft celebrating his wedding.

"The nonaccomplishment of a workfellow and person is profoundly felt, and we cognize this quality whitethorn beryllium particularly hard for those who knew and worked alongside him."

Dave and Jesni met done religion connections betwixt South Carolina and Georgia, according to the grief-stricken begetter who described them arsenic "friends who decided to go beingness partners."

"I was conscionable lasting determination watching my lad and admiring him," helium said of the wedding. "He looked truthful handsome."

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As the household mourns, George Fiji told ANF their Christian religion has helped them look a wedding nighttime that turned from solemnisation to catastrophe wrong hours.

"Without God determination would beryllium galore questions — why?" helium said. "God granted america a cleanable wedding, and wrong a fewer hours everything changed into tragedy. The lone spot we tin find answers and bid is successful God."