NEW YORK— A Punjab-born surgeon, her husband, two children, and their respective partners were killed in a small plane crash in New York state on Saturday, the family confirmed in a statement.
Dr. Joy Saini, a Boston-based urogynecologist and female pelvic reconstructive surgeon, was among the seven victims aboard the Mitsubishi MU-2B aircraft piloted by her husband, Dr. Michael Groff, a neurosurgeon.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator Albert Nixon said at a Sunday news conference in Albany that the plane crashed while attempting to land at Columbia County Airport, about 125 miles north of New York City. According to Nixon, the pilot aborted an initial landing attempt and requested another approach. However, air traffic control observed the plane flying at a dangerously low altitude and unsuccessfully tried to alert the pilot before the aircraft went down approximately 10 miles from the airport, near the Massachusetts border.
The plane had departed from Westchester County Airport, located in a New York City suburb.
Dr. Saini immigrated to the U.S. with her parents and earned her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh, where she met Dr. Groff. The family said in a statement that Groff, a licensed and seasoned pilot, developed a passion for flying at age 16 under the guidance of his father.
Their daughter, Karenna Groff, a medical student, was also on board, along with her partner, James Santoro, an investment banker who reportedly planned to propose soon. The couple’s son, Jared Groff, and his partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, a law student, were also killed in the crash.
Dr. Saini and Dr. Groff are survived by their younger daughter, Anika, and Saini’s mother, Kuljit Singh.
The crash marked the second fatal aviation accident in the U.S. in three days. On Friday, a Cessna 310 aircraft crashed near Boca Raton, Florida, killing all three people onboard. A day earlier, a sightseeing helicopter carrying a family of five from Spain crashed into the Hudson River off Manhattan, also killing all six people aboard, including the pilot. (Source: IANS)
