Dr Joy Saini , an Indian-origin physician and mother of former NCAA Woman of the Year Karenna Groff , was among six people killed when a small plane crashed in Copake, New York, on Saturday. The twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B went down in a muddy field shortly after noon, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The flight, piloted by Dr. Michael Groff — Saini’s husband — had departed from Westchester County Airport in White Plains and was headed to Columbia County Airport when it crashed approximately 10 miles from its destination. Also killed in the crash were the couple’s children, Karenna and Jared Groff, Jared’s partner Alexia Couyutas Duarte, and Karenna’s boyfriend James Santoro.
NTSB official Todd Inman said the aircraft crashed at a high rate of descent and appeared to be intact before impact. “Investigators obtained video of the final seconds of the flight, which appears to show that the aircraft was intact and crashed at a high rate of descent into the ground,” Inman said. No distress call was received, although air traffic controllers issued a low-altitude alert moments before losing contact with the plane.
Karenna Groff, a former MIT All-American soccer player and biomedical engineering graduate, was the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year. She co-founded openPPE during the pandemic to supply protective masks for frontline workers. “Really, this recognition is a testament to my MIT women's soccer family and all of the guidance, support and friendship they have provided for me over the years,” she had said in a 2023 interview.
After graduating, she moved to Manhattan with Santoro, a former MIT lacrosse player and math major. She had recently started medical school at NYU , while Santoro worked as an investment associate.
The aircraft had recently undergone cockpit upgrades and met FAA standards. It was operating under instrument flight rules, though officials have not confirmed whether weather played a role. The NTSB is expected to continue its on-site investigation for several more days, with a final report anticipated in up to two years.
(With inputs from the Associated Press and ESPN)
The flight, piloted by Dr. Michael Groff — Saini’s husband — had departed from Westchester County Airport in White Plains and was headed to Columbia County Airport when it crashed approximately 10 miles from its destination. Also killed in the crash were the couple’s children, Karenna and Jared Groff, Jared’s partner Alexia Couyutas Duarte, and Karenna’s boyfriend James Santoro.
NTSB official Todd Inman said the aircraft crashed at a high rate of descent and appeared to be intact before impact. “Investigators obtained video of the final seconds of the flight, which appears to show that the aircraft was intact and crashed at a high rate of descent into the ground,” Inman said. No distress call was received, although air traffic controllers issued a low-altitude alert moments before losing contact with the plane.
Karenna Groff, a former MIT All-American soccer player and biomedical engineering graduate, was the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year. She co-founded openPPE during the pandemic to supply protective masks for frontline workers. “Really, this recognition is a testament to my MIT women's soccer family and all of the guidance, support and friendship they have provided for me over the years,” she had said in a 2023 interview.
After graduating, she moved to Manhattan with Santoro, a former MIT lacrosse player and math major. She had recently started medical school at NYU , while Santoro worked as an investment associate.
The aircraft had recently undergone cockpit upgrades and met FAA standards. It was operating under instrument flight rules, though officials have not confirmed whether weather played a role. The NTSB is expected to continue its on-site investigation for several more days, with a final report anticipated in up to two years.
(With inputs from the Associated Press and ESPN)
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