New York plane crash claims lives of high-achieving family celebrating a birthday

NEW YORK — When they boarded a small plane bound for upstate New York this past weekend, the six passengers — a pair of close-knit siblings, their parents and partners — were on the cusp of a new chapter in a family life already replete with personal and professional accomplishment.

Karenna Groff, a one-time collegiate soccer star at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was celebrating her 25th birthday with her longtime boyfriend, investment banker James Santoro, to whom she planned to get engaged this summer.

They were joined by Karenna's brother, Jared Groff, 26, a former basketball player at Swarthmore planning his own proposal to his girlfriend Alexia Couyutas Duarte, a 24-year-old Colombia native set to start at Harvard Law School in the fall.

Shortly after noon on Saturday, the twin-engine plane they were traveling in crashed into a muddy field in Copake, New York, killing both young couples and the Groffs' parents, Dr. Michael Groff and Dr. Joy Saini — each celebrated surgeons.

''They were all so accomplished, but it was never about their accomplishments,'' James Santoro's father, John Santoro, told The Associated Press. ''Everyone considered them such a bright spot in their life. I'm sad for myself and my family, but I'm sad for everyone else who've lost them too.''

Piloted by Michael Groff, the plane left the Boston suburbs early Saturday morning, picking up Karenna Groff and James Santoro at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York, and then making the short trip north toward the Catskills.

Minutes before the landing, officials said, Michael Groff radioed air traffic control at Columbia County Airport to say he had missed the initial approach. As air traffic controllers prepared new coordinates, they attempted to relay a low-altitude warning but received no response.

The tragedy has prompted an outpouring of grief and raised questions about the cause of the crash. Friends of Michael Groff described him as an experienced pilot who started flying as a teenager and often made the trip to his sister's country house in upstate New York.

In October, he completed an additional safety course required to fly the high-performance plane, officials said.

''Michael and Joy were wonderful, warm parents and distinguished physicians who treasured their children,'' said Jonathan Becker, a family friend.

Their youngest daughter, Anika, was not on the flight.

As a student athlete at MIT, Karenna Groff was named the NCAA Woman of the Year in 2022 for both athletic and academic achievements, including peer-reviewed papers on epilepsy and global health equities.

''James and Karenna loved living in the city,'' John Santoro said. ''My son would be walking for hours, for miles just to be part of it.''

Jared Groff's friends described him as a buoyant presence and a formidable athlete, scoring over 1,000 points as a point guard at Weston High School in Massachusetts before joining the team at Swarthmore College. There, he met Couyutas Duarte, an economics and political science major whose childhood living on the border between Colombia and Venezuela had stirred a passion for helping others navigate migration challenges.

''That was one of the main things that drove her to focus on immigration law,'' her sister, Maria Claudia Couyutas Duarte, told the AP. ''She saw what she had here as a privilege to support others who needed us.''

On the day before the crash, Couyutas Duarte had attended an accepted students event at Harvard Law School.

''That was her dream — to go to Harvard,'' her sister added. ''We've never even met anyone who's ever gone to Harvard. It was so outside of her reach, and yet she made it happen.''