Indian-Origin Doctor, Family Die in New York Plane Crash

Photo: X/@renmusb1

In a heartbreaking incident, an Indian-origin doctor and her family were among six people who lost their lives when a small private plane crashed in upstate New York on Saturday.

The plane, a twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B, crashed shortly after noon in a muddy field in Copake, New York. This area is close to the border of Massachusetts. Everyone on board died in the crash.

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The group was a close-knit family made up of doctors and young high achievers. They were flying to the Catskills region to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Who Were the Victims?

The people who died in the crash were:

• Dr. Joy Saini, a well-known pelvic surgeon originally from Punjab, India

• Dr. Michael Groff, her husband, a respected brain surgeon and skilled pilot

• Karenna Groff, their daughter, a former MIT soccer player who was named the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year

• Jared Groff, their son, a 2022 graduate of Swarthmore College working as a paralegal

• Alexia Couyutas Duarte, Jared's girlfriend, who also went to Swarthmore and was planning to attend Harvard Law School this fall

• James Santoro, Karenna's boyfriend and a recent graduate of MIT

What Happened?

On Saturday morning, the family boarded their private plane from Westchester County Airport. Their destination was Columbia County Airport. But sadly, they never made it. The plane went down about 10 miles south of their planned landing spot.

Before the crash, pilot Michael Groff contacted air traffic control to say he missed his first landing attempt. He asked for help with a new flight path. While air traffic controllers were giving him the new directions, they tried three times to send a low altitude warning to the plane. But the pilot didn’t respond, and no distress call was made.

Investigators later found video of the last few seconds of the flight. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the plane looked “intact” but was falling quickly before it hit the ground hard.

The plane crashed into a muddy farm field, and parts of it were found pushed deep into the earth.

What Caused the Crash?

The exact cause is still under investigation. The weather might have played a role. The pilot was flying using instrument flight rules, which means he had to rely on the plane’s instruments instead of seeing clearly out the window. Visibility may have been poor.

The NTSB said the plane had modern technology in the cockpit, and it met all government safety standards. The plane had been sold a year earlier and had been updated.

About Dr. Joy Saini

Dr. Joy Saini was born in Punjab, India, and moved to the U.S. with her parents, Kuljit and Gurdev Singh. She became a highly skilled pelvic surgeon and started Boston Pelvic Health and Wellness.

She studied medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, where she met her future husband, Dr. Michael Groff. He later became a leading neurosurgeon and was an experienced pilot.

The couple is survived by their younger daughter, Anika Groff. Others who mourn their loss include Michael's parents, Stephen and Gebena Groff; Joy's mother, Kuljit; and their siblings Rinne Groff, Yram Groff, and Prashant Saini, along with many other family members.

This tragic accident has left two families and their communities heartbroken, remembering a group of people who were full of promise and love.