A private plane crashed into Copake, New York, on Saturday, April 12, killing a family of doctors and an NCAA Woman of the Year. Six people died in total: father Michael Groff, mother Joy Sini, son Jared Groff, daughter Karenna Groff, James Sontoro, Karenna's boyfriend, and Alexia Couyutas Duarte, Jared's partner.
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According to The Associated Press, the incident took place after noon on April 12. The plane went down on Copake, just near New York's border with Massachusetts. The family was flying to Columbia County Airport after departing in Michael Groff's private plane from White Plains. They were planning to celebrate Karenna's 25th birthday.
Reportedly, the aircraft's pilot radioed Columbia County Airport before the crash. The pilot told air traffic controllers that he had missed their initial approach and requested a new approach plan. When warned about a low altitude alert by air traffic controllers, there was radio silence on behalf of the pilot.
Shortly after, the Mitsubishi MU-2B crashed into the ground. According to National Transportation Safety Board official Todd Inman, the aircraft was "intact and crashed at a high rate of descent into the ground."
Six people were confirmed dead following the crash: Dr. Micheal Groff, a neuroscientologist; Dr. Joy Saini, a urogynecologist; Jared Groff, a paralegal; Alexia Couyutas Duarter, Jared's partner and fellow Swartmore College student; Karenna Groff, a former MIT student and soccer player named 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year; and James Santoro, Karenna's boyfriend and fellow MIT graduate.
Family Reacts
The surviving members of the Groff, Santoro, and Duarte families issued a statement following the tragic incident.
"We are devastated by the loss of our beloved family members," the statement reads, as per the Times Union. "We will remember them as the six brilliant, dynamic, and loving people that they were."
James Santoro's father, John, spoke with the AP and lovingly talked about them. His son had been accepted to Harvard Law School following his Swathmore College graduation.
"They were a wonderful family," John Santoro told the AP. "The world lost a lot of very good people who were going to do a lot of good for the world if they had the opportunity. We're all personally devastated."
"The 25 years we had with James were the best years of our lives," he said about his son.
The incident is currently under investigation. Reportedly, the pilot flew using instrument flight rules rather thatn visual flight rules, as per the AP. However. it is too early to determine whether weather conditions contributed to the crash.
