A high school senior’s life was irrevocably altered after a private plane crash in upstate New York resulted in the deaths of her entire family.
Anika Groff did not join her parents and siblings on the twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B that crashed in Copake, New York, near the Massachusetts border on Saturday, April 12, 2025.
The crash victims were Anika’s parents, neuroscientist Michael Groff and urogynecologist Joy Saini, along with her two older siblings, Karenna and Jared Groff. Karenna’s boyfriend, James Santoro, and Jared’s partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, also perished in the crash.
The Weston school district in Massachusetts, where Anika is a senior, issued a statement recognizing the significant loss.
According to reports, Michael Groff was an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and the executive director of neuroscience at Rochester Regional Health. He was piloting the aircraft. Joy Saini, his wife, founded Boston Pelvic Health and Wellness, and the couple met during their medical training at the University of Pittsburgh.
Their daughter Karenna, a former MIT soccer player, had achieved national recognition as the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year. She was studying medicine at NYU and co-founded openPPE during the COVID-19 pandemic to develop innovative masks for essential workers.
James Santoro, Karenna’s boyfriend, was also an MIT graduate working in the finance industry. James’ father, John Santoro, mentioned the couple’s plans to get engaged this 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 his partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, both Swarthmore College graduates, worked as paralegals. Jared intended to attend law school in the fall, as noted by Swarthmore College.
Before the crash, Anika Groff was accepted into Swarthmore College but decided to attend the University of North Carolina, according to family statements.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has initiated an investigation into the crash’s cause. NTSB officials stated that the private plane departed from a White Plains, New York airport heading to the Catskills for a birthday and Passover celebration when it crashed into a “pretty muddy” field on Saturday.
An NTSB official reported on Monday that the plane had flown for less than an hour before crashing, with no problems detected during that time. Michael Groff, who was piloting, had radioed air traffic control to reroute after missing the initial approach to Columbia County Airport.
Air traffic controllers recorded a low altitude warning and tried to contact the pilot but received no response. Officials reported no distress call was made from the plane.
Columbia County Undersheriff Jacqueline Salvatore confirmed the crash’s fatal outcome shortly after it happened. “It’s in the middle of a field and it’s pretty muddy, so accessibility is difficult,” Salvatore said during a news conference near the crash site, approximately 50 miles south of Albany, New York.
The NTSB investigation is expected to take 12 to 24 months to complete a final report on the probable cause and contributing factors. Initial findings suggest that the plane was intact before it descended at high speed into the agricultural field.
Investigators are considering whether worsening weather conditions, including freezing temperatures and strong winds, may have contributed to the crash. The plane crashed about 10 miles from Columbia County Airport, its intended destination.
Several academic institutions associated with the family have expressed their condolences. MIT, where Karenna was a notable 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, also remembered him as a highly regarded neurosurgeon whose expertise will be missed by colleagues and patients alike.
The families of the victims released a joint statement describing them as “brilliant, dynamic, and loving people” whose contributions to their fields and communities were significant and whose potential for future impact was immeasurable.
