SAD NEWS: The Brisbane Broncos are mourning the recent loss of a former star player who tragically died in a plane crash just a few minutes ago..

The Brisbane Broncos are grieving the loss of a former star player who tragically died in a plane crash just moments ago.

Jeffrey Walker shared with Nexstar’s WIVB that he woke up feeling unusually calm on Saturday morning. He arrived at Skydive the Falls, a skydiving center in Youngstown, about 13 miles north of Niagara Falls, around 9:20 a.m.

Skydive the Falls, which has been operational since June 2019, offers a scenic flight over Niagara Falls before each jump.

“Everything was perfect,” Walker recalled. “The weather was great, with low and calm winds. Everyone was excited and in good spirits.”

Although it was his first skydiving experience, Walker said he wasn’t nervous, which was surprising given his usual anxious nature.

“I didn’t even get nervous at the door, ready to jump,” Walker said. “I had no idea what to expect.”

However, 30 minutes later, the unexpected occurred: the skydiving flight immediately after Walker’s crashed, resulting in the death of the pilot, 26-year-old Melanie Georger of Tonawanda, New York.

“At approximately 11:40 a.m., we received multiple 911 calls reporting a plane crash just east of Fort Niagara on the Niagara Scenic Parkway,” said Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti. “Upon arrival, we found one plane had crashed. Unfortunately, there was one fatality. The pilot was the only one on board, and it is confirmed that they died.”

All the skydivers had already jumped from the plane before the crash.

The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office highlighted the close proximity of the crash site to major parkways. Filicetti noted that if the plane had crashed a few hundred feet away from where it did, the outcome could have been much worse.

“The plane landed just off the parkway. Nearby, Fort Niagara was full of soccer players,” Filicetti said. “We were fortunate in its landing spot, but it remains a tragic incident.”

The crash also sparked a small brush fire, which was quickly extinguished by the Youngstown Volunteer Fire Company.

When asked if this incident would deter him from skydiving again, Walker said it would not.

“It’s not like skydiving planes fall out of the sky every week and you just have to avoid it,” Walker said. “This was a freak accident. Something went wrong.”