Latest news with #MichaelGroff
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New Details Revealed About Final Moments of Upstate New York Plane Crash That Killed Former College Soccer Star and Family
The National Transportation Safety Board has released an initial report on the April plane crash that killed a family from Massachusetts The report states that the Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 plane, flown by Michael Groff, had stopped responding to air traffic controllers minutes before it crashed Six people were killed, including Groff, his wife Joy Saini, his daughter Karenna Groff and her boyfriend James Santoro, his son Jared and Jared's girlfriend Alexia Couyutas DuarteInvestigators have released new details about the final moments of a plane crash in upstate New York that killed a family from Massachusetts. According to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) published on Friday, May 9, Michael Groff — the father and neurosurgeon who was at the controls of the family's small plane before it crashed in the Catskill Mountains last month — had stopped communication with air traffic control just moments before the fatal incident. In the report, officials said that Michael's Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 plane left Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y., on the morning of Saturday, April 12, at around 11:30 a.m. local time, and Michael headed north to Columbia County Airport in Hudson, N.Y. The plane had departed the Boston area earlier that morning, and Michael picked up his daughter Karenna Groff, who was named the NCAA Woman of the Year in 2022, as well as her partner James Santoro, in New York to celebrate Karenna's 25th birthday in the Catskills. Also onboard the plane were Michael's wife and urogynecologist Joy Saini, Karenna's brother Jared, and Jared's partner Alexia Couyutas Duarte. All six people died in the crash, the report confirmed. At 11:57 a.m., Michael alerted air traffic control that he had missed the initial approach to the runway at Columbia County Airport. Controllers then gave him new landing instructions, and he responded just after 12 p.m., per the report. About one minute later, the controller told Michael that the plane was flying too low, and he did not answer. The plane disappeared from radar visibility by 12:03 p.m., and eventually crashed into a snowy area about 10 miles south of the airport. The NTSB did not confirm the cause of the crash in the report, but said that all of the major machinery was found within 150 feet of the crash site. The report also stated that the weather was overcast at the time of the crash. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "The wreckage was recovered to a secure facility for further examination," the NTSB added, noting that the report is preliminary and an investigation is still ongoing. Friends and family of the victims have previously spoken out about the tragedy. 'They were a wonderful family,' James' father, John Santoro, told the AP. '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.' Reflecting on the loss of his son specifically, he added, 'The 25 years we had with James were the best years of our lives, and the joy and love he brought us will be enough to last a lifetime.' Read the original article on People
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
NTSB releases preliminary report on NY plane crash that killed Weston family
Federal investigators are outlining the final moments of an Upstate New York plane crash that killed a family from Weston. Among the victims were Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player named the 2022 NCAA woman of the year; her father, a neuroscientist, Dr. Michael Groff; her mother, Dr. Joy Saini, a urogynecologist; her brother, Jared Groff, a 2022 graduate of Swarthmore College who worked as a paralegal; James Santoro, Karennas boyfriend and another recent MIT graduate and Alexia Couyutas Duarte, Jared Groff's partner. Kareena and Jared were both graduates of Weston High School. The National Transportation Safety Board, in a preliminary report issued Friday, said the private plane departed Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York, at around 11:30 a.m. heading north to Columbia County Airport in Hudson. Around 11:57 a.m., Michael Groff, the pilot informed air traffic control that he'd missed the initial approach to the runway at Columbia County Airport, according to the report. The controller then gave him new instructions for the landing, which Groff acknowledged a little after 12 p.m. About a minute later, the controller warned Groff the plane was flying at a low altitude, the report states. The pilot never responded, and, despite multiple warnings, air traffic control received no further radio transmissions from the plane until radar contact was eventually lost. The Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 crashed in snow-covered terrain roughly 10 miles south of the airport. Investigators didn't provide an exact cause of the crash in the preliminary report. 'Unimaginable and sudden loss': Weston High School mourns family killed in New York plane crash But they noted that all major components of the aircraft found within a 150-foot debris field and that no significant weather advisories were in effect in the region at the time of the crash. John Santoro, James' father, tells Boston 25 his son first met Groff as a freshman at MIT. Groff, was an All-American soccer player studying biomedical engineering at MIT and was named the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year. 'Still couldn't believe it was true. I still don't believe it's true,' John Santoro said. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Investigators outline final moments of upstate New York plane crash that killed former college soccer star and family
Federal investigators are outlining the final moments of a plane crash last month in upstate New York that killed a family from Massachusetts heading to the Catskills to celebrate a birthday and the Passover holiday. The victims of the April 12 crash in Copake, New York, included Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player named the 2022 NCAA woman of the year; her physician parents, Dr. Michael Groff and Dr. Joy Saini; her brother, Jared Groff, and his partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte; and Karenna Groff's boyfriend, James Santoro. The National Transportation Safety Board, in a preliminary report issued Friday, said the private plane departed Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York, at around 11:30 a.m. heading north to Columbia County Airport in Hudson. Piloted by Michael Groff, the plane had left the Boston suburbs early Saturday morning, picking up Karenna Groff and Santoro in White Plains before making the short trip to the Catskills to celebrate Karenna Goff's 25th birthday. But at about 11:57 a.m., Michael Groff informed air traffic control that he'd missed the initial approach to the runway at Columbia County Airport, according to the report. The controller then gave him new instructions for the landing, which Groff acknowledged a little after 12 p.m. About a minute later, though, the controller warned Groff the plane was flying at a low altitude, the report states. The pilot never responded, and, despite multiple warnings, air traffic control received no further radio transmissions from the plane until radar contact was eventually lost. The Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 crashed in snow covered terrain roughly 10 miles south of the airport. Investigators didn't provide an exact cause of the crash in the preliminary report. But they noted that all major components of the aircraft found within a 150-foot debris field and that no significant weather advisories were in effect in the region at the time of the crash. NTSB officials have previously said overcast conditions may have impacted the pilot's visibility and that an initial investigation had not turned up any issues with the aircraft.
New York Post
10-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
Investigators outline final moments of upstate New York plane crash that killed former college soccer star and family
Federal investigators are outlining the final moments of a plane crash last month in upstate New York that killed a family from Massachusetts heading to the Catskills to celebrate a birthday and the Passover holiday. The victims of the April 12 crash in Copake, New York, included Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player named the 2022 NCAA woman of the year; her physician parents, Dr. Michael Groff and Dr. Joy Saini; her brother, Jared Groff, and his partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte; and Karenna Groff's boyfriend, James Santoro. The National Transportation Safety Board, in a preliminary report issued Friday, said the private plane departed Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York, at around 11:30 a.m. heading north to Columbia County Airport in Hudson. 6 Officials search through the site of a deadly plane crash in Copake, New York on April 13, 2025. NTSB 6 An aerial picture captured the site of the Mitsubishi MU2B airplane crash on April 12, 2025. NTSB 6 Dr. Michael Groff, Karenna Groff, Dr. Jooy Saini, and James Santoro were identified as the victims of the crash. AP Piloted by Michael Groff, the plane had left the Boston suburbs early Saturday morning, picking up Karenna Groff and Santoro in White Plains before making the short trip to the Catskills to celebrate Karenna Goff's 25th birthday. But at about 11:57 a.m., Michael Groff informed air traffic control that he'd missed the initial approach to the runway at Columbia County Airport, according to the report. The controller then gave him new instructions for the landing, which Groff acknowledged a little after 12 p.m. 6 Alexia Couyutas Duarte, one of the victims of the crash, poses with her family after her graduation from Swarthmore College. AP 6 Debris from the plane crash pile up in the field in upstate New York. NTSB About a minute later, though, the controller warned Groff the plane was flying at a low altitude, the report states. The pilot never responded, and, despite multiple warnings, air traffic control received no further radio transmissions from the plane until radar contact was eventually lost. The Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 crashed in snow covered terrain roughly 10 miles south of the airport. Investigators didn't provide an exact cause of the crash in the preliminary report. 6 The crash site in relation to Columbia County Airport and the New York-Massachusetts border. Mike Guillen/NY Post Design But they noted that all major components of the aircraft found within a 150-foot debris field and that no significant weather advisories were in effect in the region at the time of the crash. NTSB officials have previously said overcast conditions may have impacted the pilot's visibility and that an initial investigation had not turned up any issues with the aircraft.
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Tragic new details reveal final moments of plane that crashed in upstate New York and killed family of six
Tragic new details have emerged about the final moments of a family who were killed in a horror plane crash in upstate New York. Federal investigators have put together a timeline of the events which led up to the deaths of the six victims on April 12. Former MIT soccer player Karenna Goff, her physician parents, Dr. Michael Groff and Dr. Joy Saini, her brother, Jared Groff, and his partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte and Karenna Groff´s boyfriend, James Santoro were aboard the aircraft when it went down. The Massachusetts family was heading to the Catskills to celebrate Karenna's 25th birthday and the Passover holiday. Their private plane departed Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York, at around 11:30am heading north to Columbia County Airport in Hudson, according to a National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report issued Friday. The aircraft was piloted by Michael Groff, 55, who had left the Boston suburbs early Saturday morning, picking up Karenna Groff and Santoro in White Plains. But at about 11:57am Michael Groff informed air traffic control that he had missed the initial approach to the runway at Columbia County Airport, according to the report. The controller then gave him new instructions for the landing, which Groff acknowledged a little after 12pm. But around a minute later the controller warned Groff the plane was flying at a low altitude, the report states. The pilot never responded and despite multiple warnings, air traffic control received no further radio transmissions from the plane until radar contact was eventually lost. The Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 crashed in snow covered terrain roughly 10 miles south of the airport. Investigators didn't provide an exact cause of the crash in the preliminary report. But they noted that all major components of the aircraft found within a 150-foot debris field and that no significant weather advisories were in effect in the region at the time of the crash. NTSB officials have previously said overcast conditions may have impacted the pilot's visibility and that an initial investigation had not turned up any issues with the aircraft. The crash orphaned the Groff's youngest daughter Anika Groff, who had recently announced she would attend the University of North Carolina in the fall. James's father, John Santoro described the victims as, 'a wonderful family'. '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,' he said. Karenna was the NCAA's 2022 woman of the year, her boyfriend was an MIT graduate. Karenna's father was a neuroscientist and her mother was a urogynecologist. Duarte was due to attend Harvard Law School, while her boyfriend Jared Groff was a paralegal. Michael Groff was certified and had also been flying for 'a number of years' and 'from a very young age', according to officials.
