DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — What began as a joyful wedding celebration ended in tragedy Friday night when a newlywed groom and a helicopter pilot were killed in a crash just hours after the ceremony.
Dave Fiji, a first officer for Delta Air Lines, died when a Robinson R66 helicopter carrying him and his new wife, Jesni Fiji, crashed shortly after departing their wedding reception in Dawsonville. The helicopter pilot was also killed.
Jesni Fiji survived the crash and is recovering in a metro Atlanta hospital with cuts and bruises.
According to family members, Dave and Jesni met through church connections between South Carolina and Georgia and developed a friendship that eventually grew into a lifelong commitment.
Approximately 400 guests attended the couple’s wedding Friday evening at The Revere wedding venue in Dawsonville.
“My son was so happy,” Dave’s father, George Fiji, said. “I was just standing there watching my son and admiring him. He looked so handsome.”
Following the reception, the newlyweds boarded a helicopter bound for DeKalb-Peachtree Airport. Family members said the flight was intended as a special sendoff before the couple spent the night at a hotel in downtown Atlanta.
The helicopter never reached its destination.
Authorities said the aircraft crashed around 10:30 p.m. in a heavily wooded area near the wedding venue on property owned by the City of Atlanta and managed as a wildlife management area.
“It took them awhile to locate the helicopter itself,” George Fiji said.
Jesni survived the crash, but her husband and the pilot did not.
“She said when she woke up she saw my son, Dave, resting on her bosom,” George Fiji said. “She saw blood on him, but by then, his body was completely cold. She’s a nurse, so she knew he was gone.”
Family members said Jesni remained trapped in the wreckage for nearly six hours before rescuers located her.
“She’s devastated, but she’s recovering,” George Fiji said.
The tragedy is especially heartbreaking because Dave Fiji was an experienced aviator. His father said he had dreamed of flying since he was 10 years old and ultimately achieved that goal by becoming a commercial airline pilot.
George Fiji said his son voiced concerns about the weather before the helicopter departed.
“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.
According to family members, Jesni later recalled that the helicopter pilot told them the aircraft would fly at a higher altitude.
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the crash. Officials have not yet determined what caused the helicopter to go down.
As they mourn the loss of Dave Fiji, family members said their Christian faith is helping them navigate the tragedy.
“Without God, there would be many questions — why?” George Fiji said. “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.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
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