A private plane carrying six people crashed into an open field in New York State on Saturday, all killing on board, according to the authorities.
Among the people on board were the former football player of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Karenna Groff, her parents and her brother, according to a family statement.
The National Safety Board (NTSB) Transportation of the United States said that the family had traveled for a holiday celebration when the accident occurred.
A video of the last seconds of the flight obtained by authorities has shown that the plane is intact before crashing into the ground at a high descent rate, said the NTSB.
A joint family declaration identified the victims as Karenna Groff, his parents Dr Michael Groff and Dr Joy Saini, his brother Jared Groff and his partner Alexia Couyutas Duarte and the partner of Karenna James Santoro.
“It was a wonderful family,” James’ father John Santoro told the Associated Press.
“The world has lost many very good people who were going to do a lot of good for the world if they had the opportunity. We are very personally devastated.”
Karenna, former athlete, was appointed wife of the year by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2022, her last year.
She graduated from MIT, where she met James and was registered with a medical school at New York University (NYU), the family said.
His parents were both eminent doctors, while his brother, Jared, worked as a parajurist and his partner, Alexia, was about to join the Harvard Law School.
“Karenna has demonstrated exceptional skills and an unshakable passion for patient care and the mission of our institution. We will remember her for her warmth, her grace, kindness, her exceptional achievements and the pure joy she has brought to our community,” said a spokesperson for NYU.
An article from the New York Times identified the plane pilot like Karenna’s father, Dr. Groff, who was “experienced” according to a family statement. The report he piloted on the crushed plane was not publicly confirmed by the family or the authorities.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, the NTSB manager Todd Inman said that the Mitsubishi Mu-2B twin twin was “compressed, completed and anchored in the field” of a muddy agricultural field near Craryville, New York.
The accident occurred around noon while the family headed for County Airport in Columbia.
Mr. Inman added that air traffic control had tried to contact the pilot several times but received no response or call for distress.
The pilot was flying under instrument flight rules, rather than visual flight rules, he said, adding that it was too early to determine whether the reduction in the visibility of weather conditions was a factor.
Inman said that the plane had an improved cockpit with more recent technology, certified according to the Federal Aviation Administration standards.
An investigation is underway and a probable cause of the accident will be determined in the NTSB final report in 12 to 24 months.
It comes only a few days after six people, including a family of Spanish tourists, Died in a helicopter accident in New York.
