Will Byler and Bailee Ackerman: Texas Newlyweds Killed in Helicopter Crash After Leaving Wedding
Two Texas newlyweds were tragically killed when their helicopter crashed after leaving their wedding.
Will Byler and Bailee Ackerman, both 23, were killed after they left their wedding reception in the early hours of Sunday morning. Their helicopter reportedly crashed just north of Uvalde.
“We celebrated their fairy tale wedding and they were surrounded by their family and friends as they flew off in the family helicopter,” Eric Smith, a family friend, posted on Facebook. “Sadly they crashed into the side of a hill about a mile from the family ranch.”
The pilot was also killed.
“Please keep everyone associated with this tragic event in your prayers,” Smith wrote.
Authorities reportedly discovered the wreckage shortly after sunrise on Sunday, CBS News reported.
The Department of Public Safety and Federal Aviation Administration is investigating what caused the crash, according to reports.
The newlyweds were both students at Sam Houston University.
“It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the tragic passing of two Bearkats Will Byler (Agriculture Engineering senior) and Bailee Ackerman Byler (Agricultural Communication senior) in a helicopter accident departing their wedding," The school’s paper wrote after the deaths.
Jessica Stilley, Ackerman’s maid of honor, also took to Facebook to express her grief after the tragedy.
“'My sweet Bailee Raye, my heart is broken in a million little pieces as I sit here and think of the rest of my life without my best friend,” Stilley wrote.
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