Affluent relatives of leading physicians and athletic students from MIT perish in plane accident while en route to celebrate a birthday

A tragic plane crash claimed the lives of a highly accomplished family of medical professionals and researchers while they were en route to the Catskills in Upstate New York to celebrate a birthday and Passover.

The Mitsubishi MU2B aircraft went down just after midday on Saturday in a field in Copake, killing all six people on board. 

Among the victims were Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player and NCAA’s 2022 woman of the year, her boyfriend James Santoro, an MIT graduate, Karenna’s father, Dr. Michael Groff, a neuroscientist, and her mother, Dr. Joy Saini, a urogynecologist.

James’s father, John Santoro, told the Associated Press: ‘They were a wonderful family. 

‘The loss of these individuals is deeply felt by those who knew them. They had so much potential to make a positive impact on the world. It’s a heartbreaking tragedy for all of us,’ a spokesperson lamented.

The family traveled to an airport in White Plains, NYC, on Saturday morning and boarded Michael Groff’s private plane, Santoro said. 

Their plane was headed for Columbia County Airport but crashed roughly 10 miles from the airport at 12.06pm, according to National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman at a news conference on Sunday. 

‘[The family] were coming in for a holiday celebration with family,’ Inman said. The New York Post reported they had been flying out to the Catskills for a birthday celebration and the Passover holiday. 

Columbia County Undersheriff Jacqueline Salvatore said at a news conference on Saturday that ‘accessibility is difficult’ due to the muddy nature of the field in which they landed.

‘The 25 years we had with James were the best years of our lives,’ Santoro said, as funeral arrangements are being made. ‘And the joy and love he brought us will be enough to last a lifetime.’ 

During the Covid-19 Pandemic, Karenna co-founded openPPE, which helped create a new design for essential workers in need of masks. 

Then, in 2023, she received the NCAA woman of the year award for 2022 in recognition of her accomplishments. 

In an interview at the time, she said: ‘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.’ 

Karenna had met James while they were studying at MIT. She grew up in Massachusetts and was an All-American soccer player studying biomedical engineering. 

James was a math major from New Jersey who played lacrosse for the school. 

After graduating, the pair moved into Manhattan where Karenna enrolled in New York University’s medical school and James worked as an investment associate for Silver Point. 

A video obtained by the board showed that the aircraft was in fact intact as it began falling from the sky and crashed at a ‘high-rate descent’ into the ground, according to Inman.

The pilot reported a missed approach as they flew into land at the airport and requested another approach. 

A low altitude alert, however, rang through upon the second attempt, according to NTSB member Albert Nixon. 

Nixon said a responding air traffic controller failed in three attempts to contact the pilot on board to alert him to the low altitude of the plane. 

He added that no distress call was made from onboard. 

Inman estimated that the investigation will take the board’s team a week to conduct. 

‘I know that [the plane] was certified under FAA standards… we have no reason to believe it was not legally safe to fly,’ Inman said. 

According to Inman, the pilot was certified and had also been flying for ‘a number of years’ and ‘from a very young age.’  

NTSB did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.