David Fiji, a 25-year-old pilot employed by Endeavor Air, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, died Friday night a few hours after marrying his wife, Jesni Fiji, when the helicopter in which they were both traveling crashed in a wooded area in the state of Georgia.

The couple had just celebrated their wedding with hundreds of guests near Dawsonville and were heading to begin their honeymoon when the accident occurred.

"We can say it was a perfect wedding. We couldn't have asked for anything more," George Fiji, the young pilot's father, recalled to WSB-TV.

The honeymoon trip never started

According to family members, the ceremony was held at The Revere venue and was marked by an atmosphere of joy and emotion.

David and Jesni, who met about a decade ago at a local church, had planned to spend the night at a downtown Atlanta hotel before continuing with their honeymoon plans.

However, weather conditions began to deteriorate at the end of the celebration.

According to his father's account, David expressed concern about poor visibility caused by rain and fog.

“He said, ‘I wouldn’t fly in these visibility conditions,’” George Fiji recalled.

Despite this, the pilot operating the Robinson R-66 helicopter decided to continue the journey and ascended to a higher altitude in the midst of bad weather.

Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft crashed into a remote, wooded area while en route to Peachtree-DeKalb Airport.

The bride survived trapped in the wreckage

The accident left two people dead: David Fiji and the pilot of the aircraft, whose identity had not been publicly disclosed.

Jesni survived, although she was trapped under the wreckage of the helicopter for approximately five hours before being rescued by emergency crews.

“When he woke up he was under the rubble,” said George Fiji. "She saw David on her chest. She is a nurse. She touched him and called him, but he was already cold."

The young woman was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center with minor injuries, primarily cuts and bruises, and was expected to return home a few days after the accident.

“She is devastated,” says the family

The loss has left the Fiji family and those who knew the young pilot deeply affected.

“She is devastated,” George Fiji said of his daughter-in-law. "She always said she would never find another man who had preserved himself like David. He was kind, gentle and selfless."

His uncle, Jomy George, said the family is “destroyed beyond measure.”

Friends and acquaintances also expressed their pain on social media, where they described David as a bright, kind and exceptional young man whose life ended too soon.

Promising career in aviation

David Fiji had recently begun a promising career in commercial aviation.

Endeavor Air reported that the young man joined the company in March 2025 as a first officer.

In a statement, the airline expressed its regret for the loss. “The loss of a colleague and friend is deeply felt, and we know that this news may be especially difficult for those who knew and worked alongside him,” the company said.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) opened an investigation to determine the exact causes of the accident.

The authorities are examining the meteorological conditions existing at the time of the flight, as well as other operational factors related to the Robinson R-66 helicopter involved in the accident.

The aircraft belonged to Prestige Helicopters, a company with operations at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport.