More details have emerged about a private plane that crashed into a field in New York just minutes from an airport, killing all six people on board.
On Saturday (April 12), shortly after 12pm ET, the aircraft collided with a muddy field in Copake, close to the Massachusetts border, in upstate New York, having departed from Westchester County Airport in White Plains, a suburb of New York City.
According to Flight Aware, the twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B was scheduled to takeoff at 10.50am but didn't depart until 11.34am, and was in the air for 30 minutes before tragedy struck.
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The jet was earmarked to arrive at Columbia County Airport at 11.16am, but due to the delayed departure they didn't approach until midday.
According to a briefing by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) yesterday, the pilot radioed air traffic control at the airport to report that he had missed his designated spot and asked for a new approach plan.
At 12.04pm, Flight Aware recorded that it 'landed', roughly 10 miles to the south of Columbia County Airport.
Victims of the crash
The private plane was owned by Dr Michael Groff, a neuroscientist, and his wife Dr Joy Saini, a urogynecologist. Both were on board at the time.
Their daughter, former MIT soccer player Karenna Groff - who was named the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year, had accompanied them on the flight alongside her boyfriend James Santoro, another recent MIT graduate.
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Her brother Jared Groff, a 2022 graduate of Swarthmore College who worked as a paralegal, joined them alongside his partner Alexia Couyutas Duarte - who graduated Swarthmore and planned to attend Harvard Law School this fall.
The New York Times has identified Dr Groff as being the pilot of the plane, although no report has been publicly issued to confirm this, but a family statement described him as an 'experienced' pilot.
Investigation into the accident
NTSB investigator Todd Inman said at a news conference last night that the pilot of the plane missed an approach at the landing airport and requested instructions to make another approach.
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However, the air traffic control radar 'indicated a low altitude alert' and despite the air traffic controller attempting to inform the pilot of this, they were 'unsuccessful' - despite radioing in an 'additional three times'.
Footage of the crash 'appears to show that the aircraft was intact and crashed at a high rate of descent into the ground' at around 12.06pm.
Inman stated: "In regard to visibility, weather will be one of many different [things] we will look at."
He added that the aircraft was 'compressed, buckled and embedded in the terrain'.
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NTSB investigators are reported as likely remaining at the scene for around a week, with it taking around 30 days for a preliminary report and 12 to 24 months for a full investigative report.
Victims' family and friends respond
The family were reportedly taking a trip to the Catskills for a birthday celebration and the Passover holiday.
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An approved release by the Groff, Santoro and Duarte families reads: "We are devastated by the loss of our beloved family members. We will remember them as the six brilliant, dynamic, and loving people that they were."
James' father, John Santoro, told the Associated Press: "They were a wonderful family. The world lost a lot of very good people who were going to do a lot of good for the world if they had the opportunity.
"We’re all personally devastated."
Meanwhile, Michael's family said, as quoted by Times Union, he was 'an experienced pilot, who fell in love with flying after being taught by his father at the age of sixteen'.
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In a statement, Rochester Regional Health CEO Richard Davis said: "Dr. Groff was a highly respected neurosurgeon and physician leader, known for his clinical excellence, compassionate care and unwavering commitment to advancing the the field of neuroscience."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].
Topics: New York
Joe Yates