A tragic plane crash in upstate New York has claimed the lives of six people, including Dr Joy Saini, an Indian-origin surgeon, her neurosurgeon husband, their two adult children and their partners. The incident occurred on Saturday as the group were travelling for a Passover to the Catskills. The plane went down shortly after 12pm in a field in Copake killing everyone on board. The twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B aircraft went down around midday in a muddy field in Copake, near the Massachusetts border. The passengers were en route from Westchester County Airport to Columbia County Airport when the crash occurred roughly 10 miles from their intended destination. 🚨🇺🇸#BREAKING | NEWS ⚠️ Another plane crash in Copake, New York no word on injuries just yet, The plane is a Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 (#N635TA) twin engine aircraft it looks like it crashed in a neighborhood as you can see on the flight path, The plane just drops off radar. pic.twitter.com/Y0HnYLApbQ — Todd Paron🇺🇸🇬🇷🎧👽 (@tparon) April 12, 2025 Before the crash, pilot Dr Michael Groff, who was also Dr Saini's husband and an experienced neurosurgeon, informed air traffic control that he had missed his approach and was requesting new landing instructions. According to the AP, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials revealed that air traffic controllers issued a low altitude warning three times, but the pilot did not respond, and no distress call was made. Video footage of the final seconds showed the plane “was intact and crashed at a high rate of descent,” NTSB official Todd Inman said. The plane was found “compressed, buckled and embedded in the terrain” of a farm field. Investigators are looking into whether poor visibility due to weather played a role. The plane was flying under instrument flight rules and had been recently upgraded to meet Federal Aviation Administration standards. Who was Dr Joy Saini? Dr Joy Saini was born in Punjab, India, and moved to the United States with her parents, Kuljit and Gurdev Singh. According to Mid Hudson News, she trained in medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, where she met her husband Michael Groff. She went on to become a urogynecologist and pelvic surgeon, and founded the Boston Pelvic Health and Wellness clinic. “She was deeply committed to her patients and her work,” the family said in a statement. “She and Michael built a life together focused on medicine, family, and community.” Who else was on board The crash also claimed the lives of the couple’s daughter, Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player who was named the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year; their son Jared Groff, a Swarthmore College graduate who worked as a paralegal; Alexia Couyutas Duarte, Jared’s partner and a fellow Swarthmore alum who planned to attend Harvard Law School; and James Santoro, Karenna’s boyfriend and a recent MIT graduate. Dr Saini and Dr Groff leave behind their younger daughter, Anika Groff, Michael’s parents, Stephen and Gebena Groff, Joy’s mother Kuljit Singh, and siblings Rinne Groff, Yram Groff, and Prashant Saini, along with a large extended family. Authorities continue to investigate the crash, while tributes pour in for the victims—remembered as brilliant, compassionate, and deeply loved.
