Non-commercial aviation has become a questionable means of travel for some Americans. Since the beginning of 2025, a chain of fatal aviation accidents and other incidents involving private planes — and a few commercial jets — has caused a nationwide panic. Right on the heels of a helicopter crash in New York City, a private plane carrying six well-known college students and physicians crashed in Upstate New York on April 12. The deadly crash also occurred shortly after a separate private plane crashed in Boca Raton, Florida.
Below, learn how the plane crash happened and who was among the passengers.
Six people were on board a small plane that crashed into a field in upstate New York. The plane was headed to Columbia County Airport in Hudson, New York. This is just days after the deadly helicopter crash in the Hudson River. Ike Ejiochi reports. https://t.co/aKZsR16Eho pic.twitter.com/2uXpSihszB
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) April 14, 2025
How Many Plane Crashes So Far in 2025?
Since the start of 2025, there has been an alarming number of plane crashes — so much so that people have lost count. From January 1 through the time of publication, there have been almost 300 aviation crashes in the United States, according to NorthJersey.com, citing data from the National Transportation Safety Board.
In terms of fatal crashes, there have been 66 so far in 2025, the outlet reported.
How Did a Plane Crash in Upstate New York?
The reason for the private plane’s fatal crash is still unclear. According to the Associated Press, the pilot of the Mitsubishi MU-2B radioed air traffic control at the Columbia County Airport to note that he missed the approach, and he requested a new approach plan. The outlet further reported that air traffic control tried to convey a low altitude alert to the pilot three times, but there was no response. Officials also said there was no distress call from the pilot.
The AP additionally reported that investigators obtained footage of the plane’s final moments. The video “appears to show that the aircraft was intact and crashed at a high rate of descent into the ground,” NTSB official Todd Inman informed the press.
In the afternoon, the plane took a dive and crashed into a field in Copake, New York.
Who Is Karenna Groff?
Karenna Groff was one of the victims of the New York plane crash. She was a soccer player for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and she was named the NCAA Woman of the Year in 2022. Karenna was flying with her family to celebrate her 25th birthday, NBCBoston reported.
In addition to Karenna, the other passengers on the New York plane were her father, Dr. Michael Groff, her mother, Dr. Joy Saini, her brother, paralegal Jared Groff, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, Jared’s partner and Karenna’s boyfriend, James Santoro, who was also a graduate of MIT.
Read the full article here
