A small private plane destined for Columbia County Airport in Hudson, New York, met a tragic end in a muddy field near Copake on Saturday. All six passengers, a family of accomplished individuals including doctors and student athletes, perished in the accident. The aircraft was piloted by Dr. James Groff, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and the executive director of neuroscience at Rochester Regional Health. His wife, Dr. Joy Saini, was a respected urologist. Their daughter Karenna Groff, a medical student at New York University and the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year, was also aboard.
The crash occurred as the family was traveling to celebrate a birthday and Passover in the Catskills region. Their daughter Anika, who was not on the flight, is now left to cope with this devastating loss.
Dr. Groff, an experienced pilot, had communicated with air traffic controllers about missing the initial approach to the airport and was attempting a second landing. The control tower issued a "low altitude alert" before contact with the plane was lost, suggesting the aircraft may have been flying too close to the ground.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the accident. Albert Nixon, an NTSB investigator, confirmed the crash occurred moments after the last communication. The investigation will focus on potential mechanical failures, weather conditions, and human factors.
Friends and colleagues remember the Groff family as brilliant and dedicated individuals. John Sontoro, Dr. Groff's father, expressed his devastation and the impact the family could have made in the world. Karenna's boyfriend, James Sontoro, an MIT finance graduate, and Jared Groff and his partner Alexia Couyutas Duarte, both promising professionals, were also among the victims.
In a statement, the surviving family members conveyed their heartbreak, remembering the six as "brilliant, dynamic, and loving people."