Six die in Copake plane crash

Six die in Copake plane crash

Investigators on the scene of the fatal plane crash in Craryville on Sunday, April 13.

Photo courtesy NTSB

COPAKE — A Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 plane carrying six people crashed in an open field near Two Town Road shortly after noon on Saturday, April 12, killing all aboard.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the aircraft departed from Westchester County Airport and was headed to Columbia County Airport in Hudson.

NTSB board member Todd Inman said Sunday night that the plane‘s passengers were headed to the area for a holiday celebration with family.

Among the victims were Karenna and Jared Groff, their parents Dr. Michael Groff and Dr. Joy Saini; and Alexia Couyutas Duarte and James Santoro, according to a family statement.

The NTSB will lead the investigation and expects it will be approximately 30 days before a preliminary report is issued. A full report may take 12 to 24 months, Inman said. The NTSB expects to be on the scene in Craryville for at least a week.

Albert Nixon, an NTSB investigator, will be in charge of the investigation, which will include up to 14 team members.

Inman said the agency has obtained video of the crash, and added that the impact site is 100 yards in length and that the aircraft is intact, but buckled and embedded in the muddy, snow-covered field.

He said the plane appeared to be intact and was flying “at a high rate of descent into the ground.”

NTSB has retrieved data from the plane and is aware that the pilot had missed an initial approach to the airport in Hudson and was being redirected to make another approach. Inman said that air traffic control received a “low altitude report” from radar, but was unable to make contact with the pilot despite three attempts.

“There was no response from the pilot, and there was no distress call,” Nixon said.

Inman thanked the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office for its assistance on the scene and after investigators arrived Saturday. He said there are no plans to release the video, and appealed to anyone who might have other video, eyewitness accounts or information to get in touch with the agency.

In a news conference on Saturday, Columbia County Undersheriff Jacqueline Salvatore said the plane crash occurred in a muddy field on Two Town Road in the Craryville section near Route 23. The crash site is 10 miles from the Columbia County Airport.

Parties to the investigation include Mitsubishi, which manufactured the plane, and Honeywell, maker of the engines as well as the FAA and the air traffic controllers union.

Inman said the plane had been sold approximately one year ago, and that it had upgraded avionics. Its tail number is: NOV635TA, indicating it was manufactured in 1985.

As of Saturday afternoon, agencies on the scene included the Copake Fire District and rescue squads, along with State Police, the coroner and the Sheriff’s Department.

Latest News

Classifieds - February 26, 2026

Classifieds - February 26, 2026

Help Wanted

PART-TIME CARE-GIVER NEEDED: possibly LIVE-IN. Bright private STUDIO on 10 acres. Queen Bed, En-Suite Bathroom, Kitchenette & Garage. SHARON 407-620-7777.

The Salisbury Association’s Land Trust seeks part-time Land Steward: Responsibilities include monitoring easements and preserves, filing monitoring reports, documenting and reporting violations or encroachments, and recruiting and supervising volunteer monitors. The Steward will also execute preserve and trail stewardship according to Management Plans and manage contractor activity. Up to 10 hours per week, compensation commensurate with experience. Further details and requirements are available on request. To apply: Send cover letter, resume, and references to info@salisburyassociation.org. The Salisbury Association is an equal opportunity employer.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

To save birds, plant for caterpillars

Fireweed attracts the fabulous hummingbird sphinx moth.

Photo provided by Wild Seed Project

You must figure that, as rough as the cold weather has been for us, it’s worse for wildlife. Here, by the banks of the Housatonic, flocks of dark-eyed juncos, song sparrows, tufted titmice and black-capped chickadees have taken up residence in the boxwood — presumably because of its proximity to the breakfast bar. I no longer have a bird feeder after bears destroyed two versions and simply throw chili-flavored birdseed onto the snow twice a day. The tiny creatures from the boxwood are joined by blue jays, cardinals and a solitary flicker.

These birds will soon enough be nesting, and their babies will require a nonstop diet of caterpillars. This source of soft-bodied protein makes up more than 90 percent of native bird chicks’ diets, with each clutch consuming between 6,000 and 9,000 caterpillars before they fledge. That means we need a lot of caterpillars if we want our bird population to survive.

Keep ReadingShow less
Stephanie Haboush Plunkett and the home for American illustration

Stephanie Haboush Plunkett

L. Tomaino
"The field of illustration is very close to my heart"
— Stephanie Plunkett

For more than three decades, Stephanie Haboush Plunkett has worked to elevate illustration as a serious art form. As chief curator and Rockwell Center director at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, she has helped bring national and international attention to an art form long dismissed as merely commercial.

Her commitment to illustration is deeply personal. Plunkett grew up watching her father, Joseph Haboush, an illustrator and graphic designer, work late into the night in his home studio creating art and hand-lettered logos for package designs, toys and licensed-character products for the Walt Disney Co. and other clients.

Keep ReadingShow less
Free film screening and talk on end-of-life care
‘Come See Me in the Good Light’ is nominated for best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards.
Provided

Craig Davis, co-founder and board chair of East Mountain House, an end-of-life care facility in Lakeville, will sponsor a March 5 screening of the documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light” at The Moviehouse in Millerton, followed by a discussion with attendees.

The film, which is nominated for best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards, follows the poet Andrea Gibson and their partner Megan Falley as they are suddenly and unimaginably forced to navigate a terminal illness. The free screening invites audiences to gather not just for a film but for reflection on mortality, healing, connection and the ways communities support one another through difficult life transitions.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.