Dave Fiji, Indian origin airlines pilot for Delta Airlines (Endeavor Air) killed in helicopter crash on wedding day in Dawsonville, Georgia. Also killed was helicopter pilot, Nikhil Nargundkar with bride, Jesni surviving. Groom had expressed concern about weather conditions prior to crash.
A newly married Delta Airlines pilot was killed Friday night when a chartered helicopter carrying the groom and his bride crashed in a wooded area near Dawsonville, Georgia as they were being taken to the site of their honeymoon.
The crash also led to the helicopter pilot dying with the bride surviving.
Dave Fiji, 26, an Indian-origin commercial pilot based in Atlanta, and helicopter pilot Nikhil Nargundkar were identified as the fatalities. Fiji’s wife, Jesni, the sole survivor was hospitalized after being rescued from the wreckage.
Delta Airlines expressed concern about worsening weather
The Robinson R66 helicopter went down around 10:30 p.m. May 29 in a heavily wooded area of Dawson County just hours after the couple getting married, WSB-TV reported.
The crash happened shortly after taking off from The Revere in Dawsonville where the couple had married earlier that day. The chopper had been headed toward Atlanta as part of the couple’s post-wedding send-off and honeymoon plans when it crashed.
Family members told reporters that Fiji, a first officer for Delta Airlines whose parents immigrated from Kerala, India, had expressed concern about worsening weather before the flight. The bride, identified in reports as a nurse, was trapped under the wreckage for five hours before emergency responders pulled her out.
Jesni remained under treatment at a metro Atlanta hospital on Sunday.
Almost a perfect wedding
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.’
‘We could say it was a perfect wedding,’ the father added. ‘We couldn’t ask for anything more.’
Endeavor 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 and the Federal Aviation Administration have opened an investigation into the cause of the crash. Officials said a preliminary report is expected in the coming weeks, but a final determination on what brought down the helicopter could take months.
