A tight-knit family of doctors and student-athletes tragically lost their lives in a plane crash in upstate New York this past weekend. The six family members were aboard a Mitsubishi MU2B aircraft, headed to the Catskills for a birthday celebration and Passover holiday when disaster struck.
The plane went down shortly after midday on Saturday in a field in Copake, leaving no survivors.
Went down in a muddy field
The United States has been shaken by a series of tragic aviation accidents in 2025, with the grim trend continuing. Just last week, a helicopter crash in New York City claimed six lives. The following day, three people aboard a small plane died after it crashed Friday morning near Boca Raton Airport in Florida.
Then, on Saturday morning, a twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B private plane went down in a muddy field near Copake, New York, close to the Massachusetts border.
On April 12, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 Solitaire twin-engine turboprop crashed in an open field near Copake, New York, killing all six people on board.https://t.co/esLLe0cTm9#Copake #NewYork #MitsubishiMU2 #AvGeek pic.twitter.com/pk7ykX5mhH
— AviationSource (@AvSourceNews) April 14, 2025
Onboard the ill-fated plane was a wealthy family of top doctors and MIT student-athletes.
The victims included Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player and NCAA’s 2022 Woman of the Year, her boyfriend, MIT graduate James Santoro, her father Dr. Michael Groff, a renowned neuroscientist, and her mother, Dr. Joy Saini, a urogynecologist.
The plane had been en route to a birthday and Passover gathering when disaster struck. Before the crash, the pilot radioed air traffic control at Columbia County Airport, admitting to a missed approach and requesting a new plan.
As air traffic controllers prepared to send new coordinates, they attempted to warn the pilot of the aircraft’s dangerously low altitude three times, but received no response or distress signal.
NCAA woman of the year included in those killed in upstate New York plane crash https://t.co/e58sYzfmw9 pic.twitter.com/qPhWOBV8ag
— The Independent (@Independent) April 14, 2025
According to the AP, investigators have obtained video footage capturing the final moments of the flight. The footage ”appears to show the aircraft intact before it crashed at a steep descent into the ground,” said NTSB official Todd Inman.
Columbia County Undersheriff Jacqueline Salvatore confirmed at a Saturday news conference that the crash site, a muddy field, made access to the wreckage particularly difficult.
The pilot was experienced
Inman stated that the investigation would likely take about a week to complete. He also reassured that the plane had been certified under FAA standards, adding, ”We have no reason to believe it was not legally safe to fly.”
Inman further clarified that the pilot was experienced, having been certified and flying for many years, starting at a young age.
As the investigation works to uncover the truth, multiple families are left mourning the sudden loss of their loved ones, taken from them in the blink of an eye.
“They were a wonderful family,” James’s father, John Santoro, told 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.”
Santoro also shared that his son met Karenna Groff when they were both freshmen at MIT. Groff, originally from Weston, Massachusetts, had already made a name for herself as an All-American soccer player while pursuing a degree in biomedical engineering. Santoro, a math major from New Jersey, also played lacrosse at MIT.
After graduation, James moved with Karenna to Manhattan. There, Karenna pursued her studies at New York University’s medical school, while James began his career as an investment associate at Silver Point.
“The 25 years we had with James were the best years of our lives,” John Santoro said and added, “and the joy and love he brought us will be enough to last a lifetime.”
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Groff co-founded openPPE, a project focused on creating an innovative mask design to protect essential workers. Her efforts were recognized in 2023 when she was awarded the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award for her exceptional achievements both on the field and beyond.
Karenna was also invited to throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park on April 3, 2023, before the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Red Sox in Boston, Massachusetts.
In an interview, Groff reflected on the honor, saying, “Really, this recognition is a testament to my MIT women’s soccer family and all of the guidance, support, and friendship they have provided for me over the years.”
What a tragedy. Condolences to the affected families!
