Delta pilot, 25, killed on his wedding day after helicopter taking him and wife to honeymoon crashed in bad weather

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:24, 1 June 2026 | Updated: 15:26, 1 June 2026 A young Delta pilot and his wife departed their wedding in eager anticipation for their honeymoon in a helicopter, only for nasty weather to send the chopper into a horrifying crash.  Dave Fiji, 25, was tragically killed on his wedding day after the Robinson R-66 chopper carrying the groom and his wife, Jesni, crashed in the woods of Georgia.  Fiji had spent the day celebrating his marriage to his bride with hundreds of guests near Dawsonville on Friday night before the devastating accident. 'He was a precious child, he was a gift from God for us,' the groom's father, George Fiji, told WSB-TV.  'He was a God-fearing child. So handsome, beautiful.' The pair exchanged their vows to each other at The Revere, according to the outlet.  'We could say it was a perfect wedding,' George said. 'We couldn't ask for anything more.' 'Both of them could sense the presence of God at the alter, a tangible presence of God,' the groom's mother, Pheba Fiji, said. 'There was a special glow and glory over his face that we couldn't explain. And it was just not just us who noticed.'  Dave Fiji, 25, was tragically killed on his wedding day after the Robinson R-66 chopper carrying the groom and his wife, Jesni, crashed in the woods of Georgia A friend described Fiji on Facebook as a 'bright, kind and remarkable young man' who was 'gone far too soon' Fiji's parents, George and Pheba Fiji, said that the wedding had been 'perfect' and their son had a 'glow' to him as he stood at the altar in Dawsonville, Georgia The couple, who had met around ten years ago at New Testament Church, began to wrap up their celebrations at around 9.30pm as the weather began to turn.  'He said, "I wouldn't fly, we would not fly in this visibility,"' George told the outlet, recalling his pilot son's nervousness to get in the chopper. However, the pilot, who was also killed in the crash and has not been named, climbed to a higher altitude amidst the rain and fog.  The chopper, headed for Peachtree-DeKalb airport for the newlyweds to spend a night at a hotel in downtown Atlanta, crashed into a remote wooded area not long after lifting off the ground.  George told WSB-TV that Jesni was trapped under the wreckage for five hours before emergency responders pulled her out.  'She said when she woke up, she was under the rubble,' he recalled. '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.' The bride was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center and was expected to be back home in just a matter of days after suffering from cuts and bruises. 'She's devastated,' George told the outlet. 'She always says there could never be a man who preserved himself like David did. He was kind, he was gentle, he was selfless. Those were her words.' First Officer Fiji had joined Endeavour Air, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, in March 2025 and expressed concerns about the weather before boarding the helicopter The chopper, headed for Peachtree-Dekalb airport, crashed into a remote wooded area not long after lifting off the ground and left Jesni trapped for five hours before she was rescued Fiji's uncle, Jomy George, said that their family 'are broken beyond measure as you can imagine.' A friend described Fiji on Facebook as a 'bright, kind and remarkable young man' who was 'gone far too soon.'  Endeavour Air, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, said in a statement: 'The loss of a colleague and friend is deeply felt, and we know this news may be especially difficult for those who knew and worked alongside him.' According to the airline, First Officer Fiji had joined Endeavour in March 2025.  The National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation into the crash. The helicopter belonged to Prestige Helicopters, which operates out of Peachtree-DeKalb airport.  The Daily Mail reached out to the National Transportation Safety Board, Delta Air Lines and Prestige Helicopters for comment.   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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