Investigators Reveal Final Moments of Fatal Plane Crash

COPAKE, N.Y. — An investigation has delved into the tragic airplane crash that occurred last month in upstate New York, claiming the lives of a Massachusetts family en route to the Catskills to celebrate a birthday and observe the Passover holiday.
The accident happened on April 12 in the town of Copake, New York. Among those who lost their lives were Karenna Groff, a former soccer player at MIT who was recognized as the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year, her parents Dr. Michael Groff and Dr. Joy Saini, both of whom were physicians, along with her brother Jared Groff and his partner Alexia Couyutas Duarte. Also on board was Karenna Groff’s boyfriend, James Santoro.
According to a recent preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board, the private flight took off from Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York, at approximately 11:30 a.m., with a planned destination of the Columbia County Airport in Hudson. The flight was piloted by Michael Groff. The group had begun their journey from the Boston area earlier in the morning, stopping in White Plains to pick up Karenna Groff and Santoro before heading towards the Catskills to celebrate Karenna’s 25th birthday.
Close to noon, Michael Groff communicated to air traffic control that he had missed the initial flight approach at Columbia County Airport. The air traffic controller subsequently provided new landing instructions, which Groff confirmed shortly after 12 p.m.
However, only a minute later, Air Traffic Control alerted Groff of the aircraft’s dangerously low altitude. No response came from the pilot despite several prompts, and soon after, all radar contact with the aircraft ceased. Tragically, the Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 went down in snow-covered terrain roughly 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of the airport.
While the preliminary findings did not specify a definitive cause for the crash, there were observations that all major components of the plane were found within a debris field spanning 150 feet and that there were no significant weather warnings in effect at the time.
Although NTSB officials mentioned that overcast conditions might have impaired the pilot’s visibility, initial investigations did not reveal any mechanical faults with the aircraft.