Latest news with #Karenna
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
MIT grads killed in upstate NY plane crash planned to get engaged this summer
The MIT graduates killed in a private plane crash in upstate New York over the weekend had been planning to get engaged this summer, the man's grief-stricken father has revealed. James Sontoro and his longtime girlfriend Karenna Groff had been talking about tying the knot in the months leading up to Saturday's tragic wreck in Copake near the Massachusetts border. 'They were planning to get married and they were planning to get engaged in the summer,' Sontoro's dad, John Santoro, told Boston 25 News. The grieving father said the two families had shared their excitement over the upcoming proposal during the Christmas holiday period. The young couple were among the six people killed when the twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B they were on went down in a muddy field as they headed to the Catskills for a birthday celebration and the Passover holiday. Karenna's neuroscientist father Michael Groff, urologist mother Joy Saini, her paralegal brother Jared Groff and her brother's partner, partner Alexia Couyutas Duarte, also died. The couple, who met as freshmen at MIT, had only just relocated to Manhattan, according to Santoro's dad. Karenna, a former college soccer player who was named the 2022 NCAA woman of the year, had enrolled in medical school at New York University. Her boyfriend, a lacrosse-playing New Jersey native, had taken up a job as an investment associate for Silver Point, a hedge fund based in Greenwich, Connecticut, his father said. 'They were a wonderful family,' Santoro said in a statement shortly after the tragedy unfolded. '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.' 'The 25 years we had with James were the best years of our lives,' he continued. 'The joy and love he brought us will be enough to last a lifetime.' Santoro, in an interview with the local TV outlet, described Karenna as a 'fantastic person.' 'I think after you met her parents, it became pretty clear where she got it from,' he said. The tragedy unfolded after the family had set off on Dr. Groff's jet from a White Plains airport Saturday morning. The plane had flown for less than an hour before, with no issues found, National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman told reporters Monday. Groff, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and experienced pilot, had been due to land the plane at the Columbia County Airport around noon. He alerted air traffic controllers that they'd missed their approach and were requesting directions for a second attempt when the tower indicated a 'low altitude alert' and suddenly lost contact. Within moments, the small plane went down in the field. Investigators obtained footage 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. Investigators obtained footage 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,' NTSB official Todd Inman told reporters during a briefing on Sunday. Groff was flying under instrument flight rules — which are used in poor visibility conditions, as opposed to visual flight rules — but it was too soon to say if reduced visibility from weather conditions was to blame for the wreck, he said. Albert Nixon, the NTSB's lead investigator for the case, said the agency is working with the National Weather Service to identify the full weather conditions near the airport that day. Inman also noted that because the Mitsubishi MU-2B is a particularly powerful plane, which can reach near jet speeds, it requires additional training to be flown. Groff, however, did complete the special training and received his certificate in October 2024, according to the NTSB. Investigators expect to be at the crash site for about a week and a full accident report could take between 12 and 24 months to complete, according to Inman. The full wreckage recovery is set to be completed by Tuesday evening, with the aircraft set to arrive at an NTSB base in Massachusetts. Given the plane's Japanese origins, Inman said the Japanese Safety Board has also been called to help investigate the crash. With Post wires
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Photos reveal mangled wreckage of private plane that crashed in upstate NY, killing family of doctors, athletes
Newly released photos revealed the mangled remains of a private plane that crashed in a muddy field in upstate New York over the weekend, killing a family of doctors and high-achieving student athletes. Horrifying aerial images show the small Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 scattered in pieces across a field in Copake, where it crashed Saturday afternoon while taking six people to the Catskills to celebrate a birthday and Passover. Other images show National Transportation Safety Board officers surveying the smashed-up aircraft. The Groff family — neuroscientist father Michael Groff, urologist mother Joy Saini, their MIT-grad daughter Karenna and her boyfriend James Sontoro — were all killed Saturday when the plane crashed into the ground. Their son, Jared Groff, and his partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, were also killed in the crash. A third child of the Massachusetts couple, daughter Anika, was not on the plane. 'They were a wonderful family,' the father of James, John Sontoro, 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.' His son was also an MIT graduate and worked in finance, while Karenna was studying medicine at New York University after being named the NCAA woman of the year in 2022 for her soccer and academic achievements at MIT. The pair were planning to get engaged in the summer. Dr. Groff was an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and also served as executive director of neuroscience at Rochester Regional Health, the Times Union reported. He was also an experienced pilot. 'We are devastated by the loss of our beloved family members,' a statement from the surviving family read. 'We will remember them as the six brilliant, dynamic, and loving people that they were.' The family departed from a White Plains airport Saturday morning and was due to land at the Columbia County Airport around noon, but the plane missed its approach. While the pilot requested directions for a second attempt from air traffic controllers, the tower indicated a 'low altitude alert' and lost contact with the plane. Within moments, the small plane crashed in the field, National Transportation Safety Board investigator Albert Nixon said at a press conference Sunday. The federal agency is continuing to investigate the accident.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Karenna Groff, NCAA Woman of the Year, Dead at 25 in Plane Crash
Karenna Groff, NCAA Woman of the Year, was among six people killed in a small plane crash in Copake, New York on other victims include her parents, her brother, his partner and Karenna's boyfriend. The National Transportation Safety Board is on site investigating. The cause of the accident could take up to two years to determine.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Top former college athlete among six dead in New York plane crash
A private plane carrying six people crashed in an open field in upstate New York on Saturday, killing all on board, authorities say. Among those on board were celebrated former Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) football player Karenna Groff, her parents and her brother, according to a family statement. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the family had been travelling for a holiday celebration when the crash happened. A video of the final seconds of the flight obtained by officials showed the aircraft intact before it crashed into the ground at a high rate of descent, the NTSB said. A joint family statement identified the victims as Karenna Groff, her parents Dr Michael Groff and Dr Joy Saini, her brother Jared Groff and his partner Alexia Couyutas Duarte, and Karenna's partner James Santoro. "They were a wonderful family," James's father, John Santoro, told the Associated Press. "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." Karenna, a former athlete, was named Woman of the Year by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2022, her senior year. She had graduated from MIT, where she met James, and was enrolled in medical school at the New York University (NYU), the family said. Her parents were both prominent doctors, while her brother, Jared, worked as a paralegal and his partner, Alexia, was about to join Harvard Law School. "Karenna demonstrated exceptional skill and unwavering passion towards the care of patients and the mission of our institution. We will remember her for her warmth, her grace, her kindness, her outstanding accomplishments, and the pure joy she brought to our community," an NYU spokesperson said. A New York Times article identified the plane's pilot as Karenna's father, Dr Groff, who was "experienced" according to a family statement. The report that he was flying the crashed plane has not been publicly confirmed by the family or the authorities. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, NTSB official Todd Inman said the twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B was "compressed, buckled and embedded in the terrain" of a muddy agricultural field near Craryville, New York. The crash happened at about midday as the family were headed to Columbia County Airport. Mr Inman added that air traffic control attempted to contact the pilot several times but received no response or distress call. The pilot had been flying under instrument flight rules, rather than visual flight rules, he said, adding that it was too soon to determine if reduced visibility from weather conditions were a factor. Mr Inman said the plane had an upgraded cockpit with newer technology, certified to Federal Aviation Administration standards. An investigation is under way and a probable cause of the crash will be determined in the NTSB's final report in 12 to 24 months' time. This comes just days after six people, including a family of Spanish tourists, died in a helicopter crash in New York. Hudson River helicopter crash kills family of five Are planes crashing more often?
BBC News
14-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Karenna Groff and family killed in New York plane crash
A private plane carrying six people crashed in an open field in upstate New York on Saturday, killing all on board, authorities those on board were celebrated former Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) football player Karenna Groff, her parents and her brother, according to a family US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the family had been travelling for a holiday celebration when the crash happened.A video of the final seconds of the flight obtained by officials showed the aircraft intact before it crashed into the ground at a high rate of descent, the NTSB said. A joint family statement identified the victims as Karenna Groff, her parents Dr Michael Groff and Dr Joy Saini, her brother Jared Groff and his partner Alexia Couyutas Duarte, and Karenna's partner James Santoro."They were a wonderful family," James's father, John Santoro, told the Associated Press."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."Karenna, a former athlete, was named Woman of the Year by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2022, her senior year. She had graduated from MIT, where she met James, and was enrolled in medical school at the New York University (NYU), the family parents were both prominent doctors, while her brother, Jared, worked as a paralegal and his partner, Alexia, was about to join Harvard Law School."Karenna demonstrated exceptional skill and unwavering passion towards the care of patients and the mission of our institution. We will remember her for her warmth, her grace, her kindness, her outstanding accomplishments, and the pure joy she brought to our community," an NYU spokesperson said.A New York Times article identified the plane's pilot as Karenna's father, Dr Groff, who was "experienced" according to a family statement. The report that he was flying the crashed plane has not been publicly confirmed by the family or the at a press conference on Sunday, NTSB official Todd Inman said the twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B was "compressed, buckled and embedded in the terrain" of a muddy agricultural field near Craryville, New crash happened at about midday as the family were headed to Columbia County Inman added that air traffic control attempted to contact the pilot several times but received no response or distress pilot had been flying under instrument flight rules, rather than visual flight rules, he said, adding that it was too soon to determine if reduced visibility from weather conditions were a Inman said the plane had an upgraded cockpit with newer technology, certified to Federal Aviation Administration investigation is under way and a probable cause of the crash will be determined in the NTSB's final report in 12 to 24 months' comes just days after six people, including a family of Spanish tourists, died in a helicopter crash in New York.
