NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Dawsonville, GA, June 1, 2026: What began as a joyous wedding celebration for a young Indian American couple from metro Atlanta ended in tragedy Friday night when a helicopter carrying the newlyweds crashed shortly after takeoff from a Dawsonville wedding venue.
Dave Fiji, a 25-year-old Delta Air Lines pilot of Kerala heritage and a resident of Gwinnett County, was killed when the Robinson R66 helicopter crashed in a wooded area near Dawsonville around 10:30 p.m. on May 29. The helicopter pilot also died in the crash. Fiji’s new bride, Jesni (also reported as Jessni in some accounts), survived and is recovering at a metro Atlanta hospital.
According to family members, the couple had just celebrated their wedding at The Revere, a popular North Georgia wedding venue, attended by approximately 400 guests. The helicopter ride was intended as a special sendoff before the couple spent the night in downtown Atlanta.
“My son was so happy,” Dave’s father, George Fiji, told Atlanta News First. Family members said the couple met through church connections between South Carolina and Georgia and eventually developed a relationship that led to marriage.
The crash occurred only minutes after takeoff. The helicopter went down in a remote, heavily wooded section of Dawson County, complicating rescue efforts. Authorities said Jesni survived the impact and was rescued after an extensive search operation.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. Officials have not yet released a cause. The aircraft was a Robinson R66 helicopter operated by an Atlanta-area helicopter company.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through Georgia’s Indian American and Malayali communities. News outlets in India and among the global Malayali diaspora reported that Fiji was the son of a Kerala-origin family and had recently achieved his dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot with Delta Air Lines. Jesni is reported to be a nurse.
Friends and community members have taken to social media to express grief over the loss of a young man whose wedding day was supposed to mark the beginning of a new chapter.
As investigators work to determine what caused the fatal crash, two families are left mourning a celebration that turned into an unimaginable tragedy within hours.
Cover photo courtesy: Jaison Mathew/Facebook.
