A private aircraft tragically crashed on Saturday in New York, leaving no survivors. The plane carried six individuals, all members of a family of medical professionals and student-athletes, en route to the Catskill Mountains for a birthday celebration.
Among the passengers was Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player who was honored as the 2022 "Woman of the Year" by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B went down in a field in Copake, New York, shortly after noon.
The crash, which occurred near the Massachusetts border, also claimed the lives of Groff's father, neuroscientist Michael Groff; her mother, Dr. Joy Saini, a urogynecologist; their other child, Jared Groff, a legal assistant; Alexia Couyutas Duarte, Jared's partner; and Karenna's boyfriend, James Santoro, a recent MIT graduate.
According to the Associated Press, the pilot had radioed Columbia County Airport's air traffic control shortly before the accident, reporting a missed initial approach and requesting a new plan. As they were configuring new coordinates, air traffic controllers attempted to issue a low-altitude alert three times, but the pilot neither responded nor sent a distress call.
Investigators have acquired a video capturing the final moments of the flight, which "appears to show that the aircraft was intact and crashed at a high speed into the ground," according to reports.
John Santoro, the father of Karenna's deceased boyfriend, shared with AP that the family was "wonderful": "The world has lost many very good people who were going to do good things if given the chance. We are all personally devastated."
Since the beginning of the year, the United States has seen an alarming increase in aircraft accidents, many of them fatal. These incidents underscore the urgent need to reassess and enhance aviation safety standards.
Notable accidents include a collision between a commercial plane and an army helicopter near Washington, a medical transport plane crash in Philadelphia, and a small passenger plane accident in Alaska.
On Friday, a Cessna 310 plummeted from the sky, crashing into a vehicle in Boca Raton, Florida, resulting in three fatalities. The crash led to a significant fire, closing several major city roads and drawing firefighting, police, and emergency medical teams to the scene.
Key Questions About Recent Plane Crashes in the US
Who was Karenna Groff?
Karenna Groff was a former soccer player at MIT and was named the 2022 "Woman of the Year" by the NCAA.
What were the circumstances of the crash?
The pilot reported a missed initial approach and requested a new plan but did not respond to low-altitude alerts. The plane crashed at high speed.
What other recent airplane accidents have occurred in the US?
Recent accidents include a collision near Washington, a medical plane crash in Philadelphia, and a passenger plane crash in Alaska, among others.