Young skydiver crashes shortly after releasing his passengers

The name of a young pilot who unfortunately died in a plane crash over the weekend has been released by authorities.

On Saturday, July 20, Melanie Georger took a group of skydivers on a trip, and while the jump went as planned, the rest of the trip did not.

About 30 minutes after the divers exited the plane, Melanie – who was flying a single-engine Cessna at the time – was involved in a fatal plane crash on the Niagara Scenic Parkway.

On Saturday, July 20, a fatal plane crash occurred near Niagara Falls. (Vincent Boisvert/Getty Stock)

The tragic event occurred about 24 kilometers from Niagara Falls.

The Niagara County Sheriff’s Department announced the sad news via social media.

The statement reads: “On July 20, 2024, at approximately 11:40 a.m., the Niagara County Sheriff’s Communications Center received emergency calls reporting an aircraft crash on the Niagara Scenic Parkway northeast of Fort Niagara State Park.

“The crash is also believed to have sparked a brush fire surrounding the crash site. Niagara County Sheriff’s deputies, New York State Police, Lewiston Township Police and New York State Park Police officers arrived at the scene. The Youngstown Volunteer Fire Department was also on site to extinguish the fires.”

Pilot Melanie Georger unfortunately died in the crash. (Facebook)

It was also revealed that the plane was Skydive the Falls and that the pilot – as it has since turned out, 26-year-old Melanie from Towanda, New York – was the only person on board the plane at the time.

The police have now launched an investigation into this case.

Melanie’s father Paul Georger confirmed the news of her final death and wrote a moving post on Facebook.

“My beloved daughter, my best friend and one of the two lights of my life passed away suddenly today,” he wrote on Saturday, according to CTV News.

“Melanie was a pilot and was about to realize her dream of flying for the airline. She was doing what she loved, flying for a local skydiving company, when her plane crashed.”

The plane crashed about 15 miles from Niagara Falls. (WIVBTV)

Jeffrey Walker was one of the skydivers who jumped out of the plane shortly before the crash.

“Everything was great,” he told WIVB about the moment before the dive.

“The weather was great, little wind, very calm. Everyone was excited. Everyone was in a good mood.”

Jeffrey went on to say he was “blessed” to be alive.

“For some reason, God left me on earth and I’m just blessed to still be here,” he said.

“It’s just an eerie feeling that I was literally on that plane half an hour before it crashed. Why didn’t it crash with us on it? Why didn’t it crash with more people on it? It’s surreal.”

UNILAD has reached out to the Niagara Falls Sheriff’s Department for updates on the investigation.