Federal investigators are piecing together the tragic details of a plane crash that occurred last month in upstate New York, claiming the lives of a Massachusetts family. The family was traveling to the Catskills to celebrate a birthday and the Passover holiday when the accident happened on April 12.
The victims included Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player and the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year, her parents, Dr. Michael Groff and Dr. Joy Saini, her brother Jared Groff, his partner Alexia Couyutas Duarte, and Karenna’s boyfriend, James Santoro.
According to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the private plane took off from Westchester County Airport in White Plains at around 11:30 a.m., headed for Columbia County Airport in Hudson. Michael Groff, Karenna’s father, was piloting the plane. Earlier that morning, they had left the Boston area, picking up Karenna and Santoro in White Plains for the short flight to celebrate Karenna’s 25th birthday.
The situation took a turn when, at approximately 11:57 a.m., Michael Groff informed air traffic control that he had missed his initial approach to the runway. The controller provided new landing instructions, which Groff acknowledged shortly after noon. However, just a minute later, the controller alerted him that the plane was flying at a dangerously low altitude. Unfortunately, there was no response from Groff, and despite multiple attempts to reach him, air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft.
The Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 crashed in snowy terrain about 10 miles south of the airport. While investigators have yet to determine the exact cause of the crash, they noted that all major parts of the aircraft were found within a 150-foot debris field. At the time of the incident, there were no significant weather warnings in effect, but overcast conditions may have affected visibility for the pilot.
NTSB officials have indicated that their initial investigation has not revealed any mechanical issues with the plane. The investigation is ongoing as they work to uncover more details about this heartbreaking event.