New Details Revealed About Final Moments of Upstate New York Plane Crash That Killed Former College Soccer Star and Family
Credit : Courtesy John Santoro via AP
All six people onboard the plane died when it crashed near the Columbia County Airport on April 12
Investigators have released new details about the final moments of a plane crash in upstate New York that killed a family from Massachusetts.
According to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) published on Friday, May 9, Michael Groff — the father and neurosurgeon who was at the controls of the family’s small plane before it crashed in the Catskill Mountains last month — had stopped communication with air traffic control just moments before the fatal incident.
In the report, officials said that Michael’s Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 plane left Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y., on the morning of Saturday, April 12, at around 11:30 a.m. local time, and Michael headed north to Columbia County Airport in Hudson, N.Y.
The plane had departed the Boston area earlier that morning, and Michael picked up his daughter Karenna Groff, who was named the NCAA Woman of the Year in 2022, as well as her partner James Santoro, in New York to celebrate Karenna’s 25th birthday in the Catskills.
Also onboard the plane were Michael’s wife and urogynecologist Joy Saini, Karenna’s brother Jared, and Jared’s partner Alexia Couyutas Duarte. All six people died in the crash, the report confirmed.
At 11:57 a.m., Michael alerted air traffic control that he had missed the initial approach to the runway at Columbia County Airport. Controllers then gave him new landing instructions, and he responded just after 12 p.m., per the report.
About one minute later, the controller told Michael that the plane was flying too low, and he did not answer. The plane disappeared from radar visibility by 12:03 p.m., and eventually crashed into a snowy area about 10 miles south of the airport.
The NTSB did not confirm the cause of the crash in the report, but said that all of the major machinery was found within 150 feet of the crash site. The report also stated that the weather was overcast at the time of the crash.
“The wreckage was recovered to a secure facility for further examination,” the NTSB added, noting that the report is preliminary and an investigation is still ongoing.
Friends and family of the victims have previously spoken out about the tragedy.
“They were a wonderful family,” James’ father, John Santoro, told the AP. “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.”
Reflecting on the loss of his son specifically, he added, “The 25 years we had with James were the best years of our lives, and the joy and love he brought us will be enough to last a lifetime.”
