A high school senior’s life took a tragic turn after a small plane crash in upstate New York resulted in the loss of her entire family.
Anika Groff was not on board the twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B that crashed in Copake, New York, near the Massachusetts border on Saturday, April 12. Her parents and siblings were all on the flight.
The crash victims included her parents, Michael Groff, a neuroscientist, and Joy Saini, a urogynecologist, along with her two older siblings, Karenna and Jared Groff. Also on board were Karenna’s boyfriend, James Santoro, and Jared’s partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte.
The Weston school district in Massachusetts, where Anika is a senior, issued a statement acknowledging the devastating loss experienced by the student.
Michael Groff was an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and served as executive director of neuroscience at Rochester Regional Health. He was piloting the aircraft at the time of the crash. His wife, Joy Saini, was the founder of Boston Pelvic Health and Wellness, and the couple met while studying medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.
Their daughter Karenna was recognized as the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year and had previously played soccer for MIT. She was studying medicine at NYU and had co-founded openPPE during the COVID-19 pandemic to design masks for essential workers.
James Santoro, Karenna’s boyfriend, was an MIT graduate working in finance. According to his father, John Santoro, the couple planned to get engaged over the summer. “They were a wonderful family,” he said. “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.”
Jared Groff and Alexia Couyutas Duarte were Swarthmore College graduates, where Michael Groff had also studied. Both worked as paralegals, and Jared had intended to attend law school in the fall, as per a statement from Swarthmore College.
Prior to the crash, Anika Groff had been accepted to Swarthmore College but announced plans to attend the University of North Carolina, according to family statements.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) launched an investigation into the crash. Officials indicated that the plane departed from a White Plains, New York airport, heading to the Catskills for a birthday and Passover celebration, when it descended into a field on Saturday.
An NTSB representative stated that the plane had been airborne for less than an hour before the crash, with no issues reported during that time. Pilot Michael Groff radioed air traffic control regarding a reroute after missing the initial approach to Columbia County Airport.
Air traffic controllers issued a low altitude warning and attempted to contact the pilot, but no response was received. Officials confirmed no distress call was made from the aircraft.
Columbia County Undersheriff Jacqueline Salvatore confirmed the crash’s fatal outcome shortly after the incident. “It’s in the middle of a field and it’s pretty muddy, so accessibility is difficult,” Salvatore reported during a news conference near the site, about 50 miles south of Albany, New York.
The NTSB investigation is expected to take 12 to 24 months to determine the probable cause and any contributing factors. Initial findings indicate the plane was intact before its high-speed descent into the agricultural field.
Investigators are exploring whether weather conditions, such as freezing temperatures and wind, played a role in the crash. The crash occurred approximately 10 miles from its intended destination, Columbia County Airport.
Multiple educational institutions connected to the family expressed condolences. MIT, where Karenna was a distinguished student-athlete, and Swarthmore College, where several family members studied, released statements mourning the loss of these accomplished individuals.
Rochester Regional Health, where Michael Groff had recently started working as executive medical director of neurosciences after leaving Harvard, remembered him as a highly regarded neurosurgeon whose expertise will be missed by colleagues and patients.
The families of the victims issued a joint statement describing them as “brilliant, dynamic, and loving people” who significantly contributed to their fields and communities, with immeasurable potential for future impact.