Heartbreaking Detail Emerges on Young Couple Killed in Plane Crash

Yahoo

14-04-2025

There are more heartbreaking details emerging since Saturday's tragic plane crash that killed six people in Upstate New York, including MIT graduates who were planning on getting engaged this summer.
According to Boston 25 News, James Santoro and Karenna Groff were distinguished student-athletes at the famed university. They met when Santoro was a freshman at MIT, where Groff was an All-American soccer player studying biomedical engineering. She was also named the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year and got to throw out the ceremonial first-pitch at Fenway Park in 2023.
Santoro played lacrosse at MIT.
The couple was onboard the twin-enginge turboprop plane that crashed some 10 miles from Columbia County Airport near the town of Copake, New York, on Saturday afternoon. The private plane was on its way to the Catskills for a birthday and the passover holiday. The people on board included the young couple as well as a close-knit family of physicians.
According to Boston 25 News, the couple were excited about moving to New York City after graduating from MIT, and they were planning on getting engaged this summer. Groff had recently enrolled in medical school at New York University, while Santoro had been working as an investment associate for a hedge fund.
"Sadly, I can confirm that Michael Groff, MD, was pursuing an Executive MBA at MIT's Sloan School of Management and his daughter, Karenna Groff, is an MIT alumna. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Engineering in 2022 and a Master of Engineering (M.Eng) in Biological Engineering in 2023," an MIT spokesperson said in a statement. "While at MIT, Karenna was also the second MIT student-athlete ever to earn NCAA Woman of the Year honors. I can confirm that James Santoro is also an MIT alumnus. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance in 2022."Groff's family, including her parents, Joy Saini and Michael Groff; her brother, Jared Groff; and his partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, also died in the plane crash. Saini was a pelvic surgeon.
At a press briefing, the National Transportation Safety Board said the pilot reported a "missed approach" and "requested vectors for another approach." But when he came back around, "the radar indicated a low altitude alert."
An air traffic controller attempted to make contact with the pilot three times about the alert, to no avail. The investigator also said that "there was no distress call."