A twin-engine small aircraft tragically crashed into a marshy field near the town of Copake, New York, on Saturday (April 12), killing all six people onboard. According to a family member, the victims included two surgeons, their two children, and the children’s respective partners.
The Mitsubishi MU-2B plane was en route to Columbia County Airport near Hudson, New York, carrying three couples heading to a birthday celebration and dinner, the family member shared in a statement.
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Michael Groff, the pilot, was a neurosurgeon and an experienced aviator. His wife, Joy Saini, specialized in pelvic surgery.
Their daughter, Karenna Groff, was a medical student at NYU Langone and a former standout soccer player at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she was honored as Female Athlete of the Year in 2022.
Karenna’s boyfriend, James Santoro, worked in investment banking and had been planning to propose to her this summer.
Her brother, Jared Groff, served as a legal assistant at a New York hedge fund and intended to begin law school in the fall. His girlfriend, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, was set to enroll at Harvard Law School this upcoming semester.
Their deaths and identities were confirmed by family member Jonathan Becker, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Bard College. “We will remember them as six talented, vibrant, and deeply loving individuals,” he said in a statement.
