Former MIT Soccer Player Among Seven Killed in Upstate New York Plane Crash

A New York plane crash claimed the life of the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year.

Karenna Groff / YouTube

Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player who was named the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year, was among seven killed in a plane crash in upstate New York on Saturday.

Groff was aboard a twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B aircraft, which crashed shortly before Noon ET on Saturday in Copake, New York. The crash killed everybody on board, which included members of Groff's family, according to the Associated Press. The victims included Groff; her father, Dr. Michael Groff; her mother, Dr. Joy Saini; her brother, Jared Groff; Jared's partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte; and Karenna's boyfriend, James Santoro. The flight also killed the assigned pilot of the plane, which was Dr. Groff's private aircraft.

The flight was en route to Columbia County Airport from Westchester County Airport. However, the plane crashed around 10 miles south of Columbia County Airport. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the plane had radioed air traffic control at Columbia County Airport. The pilot notified ATC that the aircraft had missed the initial approach and requested a new approach plan. As the ATC prepared new landing coordinates, the controllers attempted to contact the aircraft to relay a low altitude alert on three different occasions, but received no response from the pilot. There was no distress call from the plane.

The full investigation into the crash could take 12-24 months to complete.

Karenna Groff earned 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year honors due to her play on the field, as well as her work off the field. Groff co-founded openPPE, which helped create new mask designs for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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