3 Swarthmore College graduates killed in plane crash in Upstate New York
On Saturday, April 12, 2024, a plane headed to Columbia County Airport in Hudson, New York, crashed, killing six people.
Among the six victims include three Swarthmore College graduates.
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Swarthmore College family is grieving the loss of three graduates after a devastating plane crash occurred in New York Saturday.
Three people the president of the college calls extraordinary.
The backstory
Six people, all from one family, died in the plane that went down in upstate New York on Saturday.
They were on their way to celebrate a birthday and Passover in the Catskills.
The National Transportation Safety Board says on Saturday morning, they all headed to Westchester County Airport where they boarded a private twin-engine plane owned by Michael Groff.
They were set to land at Columbia County Airport but crashed roughly 10 miles to the south.
Everyone on board died, including the pilot Michael Groff and his wife Joy Saini, who were both physicians. Their daughter, Karenna Groff, an MIT soccer player, named the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year, her partner, James Santoro, along with Jared Groff and his partner, Alexia Duarte.
Michael graduated from Swarthmore College in 1988, Jared graduated in 2022 and Alexia in 2023.
Alexia is also survived by her sister, Ariana Duarte, who attends Swarthmore and was studying abroad when the plane crashed.
What they're saying
"Now, what we can say is weather was at that time what we consider to be deteriorating. And I mentioned the ceiling at the airport being 400 AGL—that's above ground level at 400 feet AGL for that approach at that airport. It would be the minimum for a landing under an IFR instrument flight approach," said J. Todd Inman, a member of the NTSB.
"We verified that this owner and operator, and we have confirmed the owner is the same person as the operator, that this person, this owner and operator went through that training and was fully certified to be on that aircraft and flying it," Inman added.
In a statement, the President of Swarthmore said, "In the face of such devastating news, we recognize and celebrate all that these extraordinary individuals meant to us, as well as support those who knew, mentored, and loved them. And they were extraordinary. On behalf of everyone at Swarthmore, our hearts go out to the families and friends of those we lost on Saturday, and to everyone affected by their tragic passing. Please join us in sending them peace and light."
What's next
The President also says the college will celebrate the lives of those who died in ways that their families feel are most meaningful and will share any public plans when they're available.
In the meantime, the school will have resources available to help students and staff who might need help dealing with this loss.
The Source
The information in this story is from the National Transportation Safety Board and Swarthmore College.
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