Private Plane Crashes in New York, Killing All Six Aboard, Including Former NCAA Woman of the Year Karenna Groff

What began as a family trip to celebrate a birthday and Passover ended in heartbreak, as a close-knit group of high achievers never reached their destination.

A Mitsubishi MU-2B twin-engine aircraft crashed in a muddy field near Copake, New York, at approximately 12:15 p.m. local time on Saturday, April 12, 2025, resulting in the deaths of all six people on board. The private plane had been headed to Columbia County Airport in Hudson, New York.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the crash on its website and noted that the investigation would be conducted jointly with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which will lead the inquiry and issue all future updates.

The aircraft was carrying six members of a family traveling to the Catskills region for a birthday celebration and the Passover holiday.

Authorities and a family member speaking to the Associated Press revealed the identities of those who died in the crash. Among them was Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player who was named the NCAA Woman of the Year in 2022.

Her father, Dr. Michael Groff, was a neuroscientist, and her mother, Dr. Joy Saini, was a urogynecologist. Her brother, Jared Groff, graduated from Swarthmore College in 2022 and was working as a paralegal.

Jared's partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, also graduated from Swarthmore and had been accepted to Harvard Law School for the upcoming fall. Karenna's boyfriend, James Santoro, was a recent MIT graduate.

According to officials with the National Transportation Safety Board, shortly before the crash, the pilot made radio contact with air traffic control at Columbia County Airport to report that he had missed the initial approach and was requesting a new approach plan.

While air traffic controllers were preparing to provide the updated coordinates, they attempted to relay a low-altitude alert three times. There was no response from the pilot, and no distress call was made.

Video footage obtained by investigators appears to show that the aircraft was intact in its final moments and impacted the ground at a high rate of descent.

NTSB official Todd Inman shared this information during a press briefing on Sunday, indicating the aircraft's structure remained whole before the crash and that the descent was rapid and uncontrolled.

The aircraft was bound for Columbia County Airport but crashed approximately 10 miles south of its intended destination. Todd also confirmed that the aircraft was "compressed, buckled and embedded in the terrain" upon impact.

The pilot had been operating under instrument flight rules, though investigators have not yet determined whether visibility issues due to weather played a role. The plane had been sold a year prior and was equipped with an upgraded cockpit that met current FAA certification standards.

One officer from the Sheriff's Office said, "We do not know what happened at this time. FAA is on scene. NTSB is en-route. We estimate the investigation will take a couple of days."

NTSB investigators expect to remain at the site for about a week. A full accident report may take 12 to 24 months to complete.

Karenna, one of the plane crash victims, had been widely recognized not only for her athletic accomplishments but also for her academic and humanitarian contributions.

In January 2023, the NCAA announced her as the 2022 Woman of the Year. In a video message released at the time, she introduced herself as a biological engineering major at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was also a graduate student pursuing a master's in biomedical engineering.

She shared her continued connection with the MIT women's soccer team and described her work at Boston Children's Hospital, where her thesis focused on understanding the genetic basis of epilepsy and developing potential gene therapies.

She co-founded openPPE, an initiative launched early in the COVID-19 pandemic that designed and distributed masks made from HEPA filters using origami techniques.

The designs were shared publicly and distributed to essential workers. "Being able to push that forward and give back to the community is just such a rewarding thing to be a part of," she said.

Karenna's athletic career at MIT was marked by numerous achievements. She served as a two-time captain of the soccer team and twice co-president of the Student Athletic Advisory Council.

She spoke proudly about setting the second-fastest hat trick in Division III history during her first game playing forward, saying she had been trying to emulate the movements of older teammates.

She was also a 2022 All-American and recalled her participation in the 2016 Maccabiah Games, known as "The Jewish Olympics," where she competed as part of Team USA.

After graduating from MIT, Karenna moved to Manhattan with her partner, James. She enrolled in medical school at New York University, while James began working as an investment associate at Silver Point, a hedge fund in Greenwich, Connecticut.

The family's trip to upstate New York began on the morning of April 12. According to John Santoro, James' father, the group boarded a private plane at Westchester County Airport in White Plains.

The plane was piloted by Dr. Michael, Karenna's father, who was described in a family statement as a distinguished neurosurgeon and experienced pilot.

Karenna's mother, Dr. Joy, was a pelvic surgeon and the founder of Boston Pelvic Health and Wellness. She received her medical training at the University of Pittsburgh, where she met Michael.

Dr. Michael Groff's death was confirmed by Rochester Regional Health, where he served as Executive Medical Director of Neurosciences.

In a statement released on April 12, CEO Richard "Chip" Davis, PhD, described him as "a highly respected neurosurgeon and physician leader, known for his clinical excellence, compassionate care, and unwavering commitment to advancing the field of neuroscience."

The organization extended its condolences to the Groff family and requested privacy for them during this time. John Santoro confirmed that funeral arrangements were underway.

The tragedy has brought attention to the victims' shared legacy of academic excellence, professional achievement, and athletic distinction. The focus remains on uncovering the circumstances that led to the crash and honoring the lives lost in the incident.

Just two months earlier (February 2025), another aviation emergency unfolded midair, this time involving a commercial Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis to Toronto. One of the passengers, Pete Carlson, recounted his experience before, during, and after the accident, which left several people injured.

Carlson noted that earlier during the flight, there had been a comment about "strong winds." "As we made our descent and made touchdown it was a very forceful event, where all of sudden everything just went sideways," he added.

The next thing he saw after these unexpected events was that he was upside down but still strapped in. He immediately tried to figure out what happened and took his seatbelt off. This move had him crashing onto the ceiling, which was now serving as the floor because the plane had turned upside down.

"One minute you're landing, kind of waiting to see your friends and your people, and the next minute you're physically upside down and just really turned around," said Carlson of this scary moment.

After he took off his belt, Carlson looked around and noted how everyone became close, trying to figure out how they could help or console one another. Everyone wanted to know what to do next to get out of the situation.

Carlson later noticed a cut on his head but was unsure when he sustained it. He suspected it happened during the landing.

However, drawing from his paramedic background, he focused on helping a woman and a child to safety. The woman was trapped beneath the seats while the child had ended up on the plane's ceiling.

Carlson relied on his instincts as a father, passenger, and paramedic to assist those around him, noting that everyone seemed calm and focused on ensuring they could help each other.

"My attention was about 30 percent towards who is moving us out and how can I help promote flow in that direction," he noted.

Carlson also had to be focused on his surroundings. He could smell gas and see liquid pouring over the small windows. The smell was from the flowing aviation gasoline, a fuel used in small, piston-engine aircraft.

After managing to climb out of the plane and onto the tarmac, Carlson helped the mom, boy, and another man to get off it, too. It was cold and snowy outside, but the passengers didn't pay note to this as they wanted to get away from the crashed plane.

After the passengers had moved to a safe distance and checked on each other, Carlson took this moment to evaluate the plane from afar and noted that its wings had fallen out.

As the fire department worked on the scene, he heard a small explosion but couldn't figure out what caused it as they were far from the crash scene.

Aside from helping passengers, Carlson prioritized communication with his wife, kids, friends, and colleagues. Carlson was heading towards a paramedics conference but took a picture of the scene and sent it to his colleagues, who had asked if he was doing okay when they learned of the crash.

Looking back, Carlson said he was grateful that he was "down on the tarmac and alive," adding, "which is again really amazing." Soon, the paramedics arrived and began assessing people's injury severity and treating them.

However, Carlson noted that the most important thing the paramedics did was listen to the passengers and ask questions. He reiterated that he saw no division but just people coming together and helping each other.

More details about this plane crash have been shared online, including videos capturing the chaotic scene.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Delta Air Lines Flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, took off from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

It crashed while landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport around 2:45 p.m. local time on Monday. The aircraft, carrying 80 people, overturned upon impact.

Footage from the scene captured the chaos. Passengers climbed through emergency exits as others helped them to safety. Inside, seats were displaced, and a flight attendant guided people through the wreckage.

The plane's fuselage was torn open, with debris scattered across the snow-covered ground. Smoke was seen bursting from the aircraft as people rushed to escape.

The FAA said emergency crews responded quickly, evacuating all passengers and crew members. In a statement shared on X, formerly Twitter, Delta confirmed the crash and reported that 18 passengers sustained injuries and were transported to local hospitals. No fatalities were reported.

The airline stated that its primary focus is assisting those affected and has activated a Passenger Inquiry Center for families seeking information. It provided contact numbers for inquiries in Canada and the United States.

"In Canada, these individuals may reach out via 1-866-629-4775. In the United States, they may connect using 1-800-997-5454," the statement read.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed concern for those involved, "The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today's incident at Toronto-Pearson International Airport." He also thanked first responders and Delta staff assisting at the scene.

The flight was carrying 76 passengers and four crew members. Following the crash, Delta canceled all flights to and from Toronto Pearson for the remainder of the evening and issued a travel waiver for impacted passengers. The airline urged customers to check their flight status through the Fly Delta app.

Endeavor Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines based in Minneapolis, operated the aircraft. Delta has pledged to provide further updates as the investigation unfolds.

Newly released air traffic control audio, shared by CP24, captured the moments after the crash. In the recording, a controller asked, "Where's the crash?" The response confirmed it came down on Runway 23R near Runway 15L.

A recording from a nearby medevac helicopter captured its crew communicating with air traffic control after the Delta Air Lines crash. A pilot reported seeing people around the aircraft. The audio also confirmed the plane was "upside down and burning."

As investigators determine the cause, aviation expert John Cox emphasized how rare such incidents are. "It's very rare to see something like this," said Cox, CEO of aviation safety consulting firm Safety Operating Systems. He noted that while there have been a few cases of airplanes overturning during takeoff, such events remain uncommon.

Cox, a former U.S. Air pilot with 25 years of experience and a background in National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigations, emphasized the CRJ-900's reliability. He noted that the aircraft had been in service for decades and was built to handle challenging weather conditions.

While acknowledging the windy conditions at the time, the veteran pilot explained that the aircraft was "designed and certified" to operate safely in such environments. He added, "The pilots are trained and experienced to handle that."

Meanwhile, the FAA stated that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada is leading the investigation and will provide updates. The U.S. NTSB will reportedly send a team to assist in the Canadian investigation.

According to AP, the last major crash at Toronto Pearson International Airport was on August 2, 2005, when an Air France Airbus A340 from Paris skidded off the runway in stormy weather and caught fire. All 309 passengers and crew survived.