Tragic Private Plane Crash in Upstate New York Claims Lives of Celebrated Former MIT Football Player and Family

A private plane carrying six people crashed in an open field in upstate New York on Saturday, killing all on board, authorities say.

Among those on board were celebrated former Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) football player Karenna Groff, her parents and her brother, according to a family statement.

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the family had been travelling for a holiday celebration when the crash happened.

A video of the final seconds of the flight obtained by officials showed the aircraft intact before it crashed into the ground at a high rate of descent, the NTSB said.

A joint family statement identified the victims as Karenna Groff, her parents Dr Michael Groff and Dr Joy Saini, her brother Jared Groff and his partner Alexia Couyutas Duarte, and Karenna’s partner James Santoro.

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

“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. We’re all personally devastated.”

Karenna, a former athlete, was named Woman of the Year by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2022, her senior year.

She had graduated from MIT, where she met James, and was enrolled in medical school at the New York University (NYU), the family said.

Her parents were both prominent doctors, while her brother, Jared, worked as a paralegal and his partner, Alexia, was about to join Harvard Law School.

“Karenna demonstrated exceptional skill and unwavering passion towards the care of patients and the mission of our institution. We will remember her for her warmth, her grace, her kindness, her outstanding accomplishments, and the pure joy she brought to our community,” an NYU spokesperson said.

A New York Times article identified the plane’s pilot as Karenna’s father, Dr Groff, who was “experienced” according to a family statement. The report that he was flying the crashed plane has not been publicly confirmed by the family or the authorities.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, NTSB official Todd Inman said the twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B was “compressed, buckled and embedded in the terrain” of a muddy agricultural field near Craryville, New York.

The crash happened at about midday as the family were headed to Columbia County Airport.

Mr Inman added that air traffic control attempted to contact the pilot several times but received no response or distress call.

The pilot had been flying under instrument flight rules, rather than visual flight rules, he said, adding that it was too soon to determine if reduced visibility from weather conditions were a factor.

Mr Inman said the plane had an upgraded cockpit with newer technology, certified to Federal Aviation Administration standards.

An investigation is under way and a probable cause of the crash will be determined in the NTSB’s final report in 12 to 24 months’ time.