Mon Apr 14 06:13:25 UTC 2025: ## Entire Family of Prominent Surgeon Perishes in Upstate New York Plane Crash

**ALBANY, NY** – A prominent Punjab-born surgeon, her husband, and their four adult children and partners were tragically killed in a plane crash in Columbia County, New York, on Saturday. The family has been identified as Joy Saini, a urogynecologist and female pelvic reconstructive surgeon, her neurosurgeon husband Michael Groff, and their children Karenna, Jared, and their respective partners, James Santoro and Alexia Couyutas Duarte.

The Mitsubishi MU2B aircraft, piloted by Dr. Groff, an experienced pilot, crashed approximately ten miles short of its intended landing at Columbia County Airport, near the Massachusetts border. According to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator Albert Nixon, the plane, which departed from Westchester Airport, missed its initial approach and attempted a second landing, but was flying at a dangerously low altitude. Air traffic control attempted to warn the pilot, but the plane crashed before intervention was possible.

The family released a statement confirming the deaths, describing Dr. Groff’s lifelong passion for flying, learned from his father at the age of 16. Their daughter Karenna was a medical student, and her fiancé James Santoro was an investment banker. Their son Jared was accompanied by his partner Alexia, a law student. Dr. Saini is survived by another daughter, Anika, and her mother, Kuljit Singh.

This is the second fatal plane crash in the US in three days, following a Cessna 310 crash in South Florida on Friday, and a sightseeing helicopter crash in the Hudson River on Thursday, highlighting a recent spate of aviation tragedies. The NTSB is investigating the cause of the Columbia County crash.

Read More