A New York pilot tragically passed away in a plane crash just moments after skydivers jumped from the aircraft. Melanie Georger, 26, was the only person onboard the plane when it crashed near Niagara Falls on July 20th. The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the news, reporting that news of the crash came in around 11:40 a.m. local time. Sheriff Michael Filicetti said the scene would have been much worse if the plane crashed a couple hundred feet in the opposite direction. “Where it landed was just off the parkway. We look to the west near Fort Niagara, it’s full of soccer players today,” Filicetti explained at a press conference. “We’re lucky where it landed, but it is an unfortunate incident.”

Jeffrey Walker, who went skydiving on the same plane just 30 minutes prior to the incident told WIVB that “everything was great” during his run. “I give her props for wanting to do what she was doing,” Walker told the Associated Press. “I really feel bad for the business and the company she was working for, because they’re a great company. I thought they did a great job training.”

Melanie’s father, Paul Georger, shared a heartfelt Facebook post. “My beloved daughter, my best friend and one of the two lights of my life passed away suddenly today,” said her father. “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.” He continued, “She was only 26. My life is much darker today and will remain so for a long time. 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. Stars and butterflies, my love.”