Young pilot Melanie Georger, 26, dies in plane crash moments after releasing skydivers - as one reveals her final heartwarming message to them

A young pilot has died in a plane crash just moments after releasing skydivers and sending them off with a heartwarming message.

Melanie Georger, 26, checked in with passenger Jeffrey Walker before he took his first jump over Niagara Falls on Saturday. 

Walker said her kindness boosted his confidence, and he felt reassured to take the plunge with her gentle encouragement. 

'I never even got nervous, I never even got nervous at the door,' he told WIVB-TV.

But when Georger was trying to land the plane just half an hour after Walker took his plunge, she crashed on Niagara Scenic Parkway in Youngstown, New York, the Niagara County Sheriff's Office has revealed.

Melanie Georger, 26, was killed in a plane crash Saturday morning

She had just finished releasing skydivers and was apparently heading back to land when she crashed off the Niagara Scenic Parkway

She was the only person onboard the single-engine Cessna at the time, and was killed in the crash.

Walker said he was not concerned by Georger's youth, describing her to WKBW as 'super nice' as they flew over Niagara Falls in 'great weather, low winds.'

'This is just kind of a fluke accident,' Walker claimed. 'Something went wrong - either she had a medical emergency or something happened to the plane.' 

He said he now feels blessed to be alive.

'For some reason, God left me on Earth, and I'm blessed to be still around,' he told the local news station as he continued to question why he was spared.

'Why didn't it happen when I was up there? Why didn't it happen when we were all on the plane?' he asked, describing the situation as 'surreal.'

First-time skydiver Jeffrey Walker said Georger checked in with him personally and shared encouraging words about his tandem skydiving partner, boosting his confidence

The Niagara County Sheriff's Office said it started receiving calls at around 11:40am on Saturday from drivers who could not see the wreckage about a brush fire on the side of the highway, the Buffalo News reports.

Deputies and other officers who responded to the scene then found the debris of the single-engine Cessna 208B down a slope.

Authorities announced at the time that the pilot had been killed in the crash, and Georger's father broke the news that the victim was his daughter later that day.

'Friends and family, my life as I know it ended today,' he wrote on Facebook. 

'My beloved daughter, my best friend and one of the two lights of my life passed away suddenly today.

'Melanie was a pilot, on  the cusp of realizing her dream to fly for the airlines. She was doing what she loved, flying for a local skydiving company, when her plane crashed.

'To my tweety pie, my girlie, my beloved and my heart, I'm already looking forward to the day that we reunite, and I will have a huge hole in my heart and a never-ending ache until then.' 

Niagara County Sheriff's deputies and officers found the single-engine Cessna down a slope

He added on Sunday: 'Back in the first week of October 2022, my long-term relationship disintegrated, I contracted COVID and I learned that my dog, who I raised from a puppy, had cancer and didn't have long to live.

'I used to say that was the worst week of my life, used to.

'This is exponentially worse and it will last a h*** of a lot longer than a week.'

Georger's friend, Angela Borczuch, also expressed her condolences on social media, noting they met playing field hockey and 'quickly became friends.

'Mel always made me laugh. During bus rides to away games, I always made sure to sit next to her because she could brighten any day with her humor,' she wrote.

'From the day I met her, Mel made it known it was her dream to become a pilot. She achieved her goal and took to the skies.

'Rest in peace, Mel. Your laughter and light will be missed.' 

Melanie's father, Paul, described her as 'one of the two lights of my life'

He wrote on Facebook that he will have a 'huge hole in my heart and a never-ending ache' until he is reunited with his daughter

Walker, the skydiver, also said he gave Georger 'props for wanting to do what she was doing.'

'I really feel bad for the business and the company she was working for, because they're a great company,' he added. 'I thought they did a great job training.'

The National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating the cause of the crash.