The authorities published on Saturday the identity of the six people tragically killed in a plane crash in New York, including a former very acclaimed athlete student.
The six victims, most of which were linked, died around 12:15 p.m. Local time on Saturday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The plane, a Mitsubishi MU-2B, was on the way to County Airport from Columbia to Hudson, New York, when he crashed in an open and muddy field in Copake, about ten miles in the south.
Karenna Groff, former football player of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who was named wife of the year NCAA in 2022, was one of the dieden, as well as her two parents, Dr. Michael Groff and Dr Joy Saini. Groff had studied medicine at New York University at the time.
His brother, Jared Groff, and his partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, were also killed on the flight. Karenna Groff’s boyfriend, James Santoro, was on board the flight and also died.
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Dr. Michael Groff, Karenna Groff, Dr Joy Saini and James Santoro were all killed in the Saturday plane crash. (Wxxa / John Santoro via AP)
The six went on the plane at Westchester County Airport in White Plains earlier in the morning. Shortly before the accident, the pilot had control of air traffic by radio at Columbia County Airport to say that he had missed the initial approach and had asked for a new approach plan.
The air traffic controllers have prepared new contact details and tried to send an alert at low altitude three times to the pilot, who did not respond.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident, which can take up to 24 months.
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The woman of the year NCAA 2022, Karenna Groff, seen here on April 3, 2023, was tragically killed in the Saturday plane crash. (Photo by Billie Weiss / Boston Red Sox / Getty Images)
The plane, which was a private plane belonging to Michael Groff, was discovered “tablet, completed and integrated into the field” of the Bouleux field, said NTSB manager Todd Inman on Sunday.
Inman also said that the authorities had obtained a video of the flight, which seemed to show that the plane was intact “and crashed at a high descent rate in the ground.”
James Santoro, from New Jersey, and Karenna Groff were both killed in the plane crash. Both lived in New York. (Thanks to John Santoro via AP)
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The NTSB also said that the plane had a recently upgraded cockpit with new FAA certified technology, and that the pilot was stealing under instrument -who flight rules instead of visual flight rules.
James’ father, John Santoro, expressed his pain about the tragedy and described the Groffs as a “wonderful family” to the Associated Press.
Karenna Groff was appointed wife of the year of the NCAA 2022 while she attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (Photo by Paul Rutherford / Getty Images)
“The world has lost many very good people who were going to do a lot of good for the world if they had the opportunity,” said the bereaved father. “We are very personally devastated.”
