Tributes have been paid to those killed when a private plane crashed in upstate New York on Saturday.
Those onboard included a close-knit family of physicians and distinguished student athletes, bound for a trip to the Catskills to mark a 25th birthday.
The twin-engine aircraft, a Mitsubishi MU-2B, went down shortly after noon Saturday in a muddy field in Copake, New York, near the Massachusetts line, killing all six people aboard, according to authorities.
The victims included Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player recently named the NCAA Woman of the Year; her father, a neuroscientist, Dr. Michael Groff; her mother, Dr. Joy Saini, a urogynecologist and Karenna Groff's boyfriend, James Santoro, another recent MIT graduate, according to James’ father, John Santoro. Karenna Groff’s brother and his girlfriend were also believed to be aboard, Santoro said.
“They were a wonderful family,” Santoro told The Associated Press. “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.”
Santoro said his son first met Groff as a freshman studying at MIT. Groff, who grew up in Weston, Massachusetts, was an All-American soccer player studying biomedical engineering. Santoro, a math major from New Jersey, played lacrosse for the school.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Groff co-founded openPPE, helping to create a new design of masks for essential workers. In 2023, she received the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award for her on- and off-field accomplishments.
“Really, this recognition is a testament to my MIT women’s soccer family and all of the guidance, support, and friendship they have provided for me over the years,” she said in an interview at the time.
After graduating, Santoro and Groff moved to Manhattan, where Groff enrolled in medical school at New York University and Santoro worked as an investment associate for Silver Point, a hedge fund based in Greenwich, Connecticut.
On Saturday morning, they traveled to an airport in White Plains, a suburb of New York City, where they boarded Michael Groff's private plane, according to John Santoro.
They were set to land at the Columbia County Airport, but crashed roughly 20 miles (32 kilometers) to the south.
“It's in the middle of a field and it’s pretty muddy, so accessibility is difficult," Columbia County Undersheriff Jacqueline Salvatore said at a news conference Saturday.
The National Transportation Safety Board has begun an investigation and is expected to provide an update Sunday evening. Funeral arrangements were underway, Santoro said.
“The 25 years we had with James were the best years of our lives,” he added, “and the joy and love he brought us will be enough to last a lifetime.”
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