NEW YORK, April 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A twin-engined plane has crashed into a muddy field in upstate New York, leaving all six passengers aboard dead.
The plane, a Mitsubishi MU-2B, was reported down at noon on Saturday in Copake, New York, around 48km from its destination at Columbia County Airport.
Columbia County Undersheriff Jacqueline Salvatore on Saturday confirmed the crash was fatal.
“It’s in the middle of a field and it’s pretty muddy, so accessibility is difficult,” Salvatore said during a news conference near the scene, about 80km south of Albany.
The private plane was carrying a family of doctors and distinguished recent student-athletes, bound for a trip to the Catskills for a birthday celebration and the Passover holiday.
Among the victims were Karenna Groff, a former MIT football player named the 2022 NCAA woman of the year; her father, neuroscientist Michael Groff; her mother, urogynaecologist Joy Saini and Karenna’s boyfriend, James Santoro, another recent MIT graduate, according to James’ father, John Santoro.
“They were a wonderful family,” Santoro said. “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.”
Santoro said his son first met Karenna while studying at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Karenna was studying biomedical engineering. James, a maths student from New Jersey, played lacrosse for the school.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Karenna co-founded open PPE, helping to create a new design of masks for essential workers. In 2023, she received the prestigious NCAA woman of the year award for the previous year for her on- and off-field accomplishments.
The National Transportation Safety Board has begun an investigation and is expected to provide an update on Sunday evening.
Funeral arrangements were under way, Santoro said. — NNN-AGENCIES
