NTSB details timeline, flight path in probe of Copake plane crash

COPAKE — The National Transportation Safety Board issued its preliminary report on the April 12 plane crash near Craryville that claimed six lives, four of whom were family members.

The NTSB report, issued Friday, May 12, focuses largely on the flight path of the plane, on communication between the pilot and air traffic controllers and the weather at the time of the crash.

The plane was a a Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 that had departed from Westchester County Airport in White Plains destined for Columbia County Airport in Hudson.

The report details the communication between the tower and the pilot, who indicated he had missed his first landing approach and would take instructions for another approach. The pilot acknowledged and was shortly advised that he was cleared for Runway 3, and the pilot again acknowledged.

“About 1 minute later, the controller advised the pilot of a low altitude alert, and to check his altitude immediately, with no response from the pilot,” the NTSB report states.

“Despite the controller’s multiple attempts, no further radio transmissions were received from the pilot. About 12:03:55, the controller advised the pilot that radar contact was lost,” the report states.

The report further states that a low overcast cloud layer was recorded by security camera video at the time of the accident, and that the plane was viewed “descending from the cloud layer in a steep descent until it impacted terrain.”

“The sound of the engines could be heard throughout the recording,” according to the report.

Flight data reveals that the plane had maintained an altitude of between 3,800 ft and 3,975 ft with a groundspeed fluctuating between about 139-189 knots before making a turn to the southwest at 12:02 p.m. About 34 seconds later, the plane began a descent. The impact of the crash is set at 12:03 p.m.

While fragments of the plane were scattered in a 150-foot radius, all major components were contained within the debris area.

According to a family statement, the victims were: Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player who was named NCAA woman of the year in 2022; her brother Jared Groff, a 2022 Swarthmore College graduate; and their parents Dr. Michael Groff, a neuroscientist who was the pilot, and Dr. Joy Saini, a urogynecologist. Two other victims were Alexia Couyutas Duarte, Jared Groff’s partner, and James Santoro, Karenna’s partner.