The NCAA is mourning the loss of one of their most accomplished athletes this week. Over the weekend, a private plane crashed in upstate New York carrying six members. One hit close to home.
BREAKING: NCAA Athlete Of The Year Dies In Plane Crash (Report)
Among the six people tragically killed in a New York plane crash on Saturday was a highly acclaimed former student athlete:
The six victims, most of whom were related, died at around 12:15 p.m. local time on Saturday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The aircraft, a Mitsubishi MU-2B, was en route to Columbia County Airport in Hudson, New York, when it crashed into an open, muddy field in Copake, around ten miles south.
Karenna Groff, a former Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) soccer player who was named the NCAA Woman of the Year in 2022, was one of the decedents, as well as both of her parents, Dr. Michael Groff and Dr. Joy Saini. Groff had been studying medicine at New York University at the time.
Her brother, Jared Groff, and his partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, were also killed on the flight. Karenna Groff’s boyfriend, James Santoro, was aboard the flight and died as well.
The six had boarded the plane at Westchester County Airport in White Plains earlier that morning. Shortly before the crash, the pilot had radioed air traffic control at Columbia County Airport to say that he had missed the initial approach and requested a new approach plan.
Air traffic controllers prepared new coordinates and attempted to send a low altitude alert three times to the pilot, who did not respond.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash, which may take as many as 24 months to complete.
The aircraft, which was a private plane owned by Michael Groff, was discovered “compressed, buckled and embedded in the terrain” of the muddy field, NTSB official Todd Inman said in a briefing on Sunday.
Inman also said that authorities obtained video of the flight, which appeared to show that the aircraft was intact “and crashed at a high rate of descent into the ground.”
The NTSB also said that the plane had a recently-upgraded cockpit with newer FAA-certified technology, and that the pilot was flying under instrument flight rules instead of visual flight rules.
James’ father, John Santoro, expressed sorrow over the tragedy and described the Groffs as a “wonderful family” to The Associated Press.
Fans were devastated to hear this news:
Are you kidding?
— Patrick in Cali (@patrickinsdcali) April 14, 2025
The number of crashes and near misses, over a short period, is unprecedented.
We need answers.— IslandGirl☮ (@IslandG41370138) April 14, 2025
This is getting ridiculous
— Raymond Michael (@FousekMichael) April 14, 2025
That’s terrible 😢
— pamoswald (@pamoswald4) April 14, 2025
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