Two persons of Indian origin, including a newly married youth, have died in a helicopter crash in Georgia. According to media reports, after the wedding on Friday evening, Dave Fiji and his bride Jessie Robinson boarded the R66 helicopter, which was being piloted by Nikhil Nargundkar. They were headed to DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.
However, shortly after takeoff the helicopter crashed due to bad weather. Dave and Nargundkar, 26, died in the accident that occurred near a wedding venue in Dawsonville. Jessani (25) survived the accident and is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital in Atlanta.
In a report by Atlanta News First, the helicopter pilot has been identified as Nargundkar. It has been learned that the newly married couple was of Indian origin, whose parents were from Kerala. According to Atlanta News First, Dave was also a pilot for Delta Airline. According to reports, about 400 guests attended the couple’s wedding at The Revere Hotel in Dawsonville on Friday night.
After the wedding, Dave and Jessie boarded a helicopter to DeKalb-Peachtree Airport. The flight was organized as a special farewell for the newlyweds before spending the night in an Atlanta hotel. However, soon after take off, the helicopter crashed in a dense forest near the wedding venue. According to Atlanta News First, the plane fell on 10,000 acres of land owned by the city of Atlanta.
Dave’s father, George Fiji, said his son was very happy. He said that it took a long time for the rescue team to locate the helicopter. Jesni remained trapped under the debris for about six hours before being rescued. She told that when she woke up, she saw my son Dave in her lap. He saw blood on it, and by then his body had completely cooled down. She is a nurse, so she knew he was dead. Jesni suffered minor cuts and bruises, but no broken bones. She is recovering, but is deeply saddened by the tragedy.
George said Dave had expressed concerns about the flight due to poor weather and visibility in the area due to rain. Since my son was a pilot, he told the pilot that the visibility was zero, and when the visibility is so zero, we never fly. According to George, Jessie later told him that the pilot had said they would fly at a higher altitude.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash and has not yet determined what caused the helicopter to go down. George said that God had given us a happiness, and within a few hours everything turned into a tragedy. We can find peace and solace only in God. Regarding the wedding, George said, I was just standing there looking at my son and he looked very beautiful. The report also states that the young couple met through churches in South Carolina and Georgia.
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