A private plane carrying six people, including prominent former college athlete Karenna Groff and her family members, crashed in upstate New York on Saturday, resulting in the loss of all lives on board.
A private plane carrying six people crashed in an open field in upstate New York on Saturday, resulting in the loss of all lives on board. The victims included Karenna Groff, a celebrated former Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) football player, and her family members.
Karenna, a talented athlete, was named Woman of the Year by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2022. She had graduated from MIT, where she met her partner James Santoro, and was enrolled in medical school at New York University (NYU). Her parents, Dr Michael Groff and Dr Joy Saini, were both prominent doctors, while her brother Jared worked as a paralegal.
The plane’s pilot, identified by the family as Karenna’s father, Dr Groff, was an ‘experienced‘ pilot. However, it is unclear if he was flying under instrument flight rules due to weather conditions. Air traffic control attempted to contact the pilot several times but received no response or distress call.
According to a joint family statement, the victims were on their way to Columbia County Airport for a holiday celebration when the crash occurred. The plane’s wreckage was found in a muddy agricultural field near Craryville, New York.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the cause of the crash and will release its final report in 12 to 24 months’ time. The NTSB has confirmed that the twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B plane crashed at midday due to a high rate of descent before it hit the ground.
The family has released a statement, describing their loved ones as ‘wonderful‘ and ‘very good people who were going to do a lot of good for the world.‘ The NTSB official, Todd Inman, described the scene as one where the plane was ‘compressed, buckled and embedded in the terrain.‘
This tragic incident comes just days after six people died in a helicopter crash in New York. It also raises questions about aviation safety, with some wondering if planes are crashing more often than usual.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) sets global aviation safety standards.
According to ICAO, there were 555 civil aircraft accidents in 2020, resulting in 583 fatalities.
The majority of accidents are caused by human error, followed by technical failures and weather conditions.
To improve safety, airlines and airports implement rigorous maintenance programs, crew training, and emergency response plans.
The investigation into the cause of the plane crash is ongoing, with the NTSB working to determine the probable cause of the tragedy. The agency has confirmed that the plane was flying under instrument flight rules at the time of the crash and that air traffic control attempted to contact the pilot several times before receiving no response.
As news of the tragic incident spread, tributes poured in for Karenna Groff and her family members. Her former university, MIT, described her as ‘exceptional‘ and ‘outstanding,’ stating that she demonstrated ‘warmth, grace, kindness, outstanding accomplishments, and pure joy‘ during her time there.
Karenna’s partner, James Santoro, has also been paying tribute to his late partner, saying that the world had lost ‘very good people who were going to do a lot of good for the world.‘ The family’s statement described their loved ones as ‘wonderful‘ and expressed devastation at their loss.
