Surgeon from Punjab and Family Tragically Killed in Plane Crash in New York
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Synopsis
The tragic plane crash in New York claimed the lives of a Punjab-born surgeon, her two children, their partners, and her husband, who was piloting the aircraft. The family confirmed the incident, which occurred during an attempted landing.
Key Takeaways
- A Punjab-born surgeon and her family died in a plane crash.
- The crash occurred while attempting to land at Columbia County Airport.
- The pilot requested a second landing attempt but was unable to do so.
- Family members include a medical student and an investment banker.
- Another daughter and a grandmother survive the tragedy.
New York, April 14 (NationPress) A surgeon originally from Punjab, along with her two children and their partners, tragically lost their lives in a plane crash in New York state. Joy Saini's family confirmed the heartbreaking news in a statement released to the media on Sunday.
According to Albert Nixon, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, the accident occurred on Saturday as their Mitsubishi MU2B aircraft attempted to land at the Columbia County Airport, located approximately 200 km from New York City.
During a press conference in Albany, he mentioned that the pilot missed the landing approach and requested a second attempt; however, the air traffic controller noticed the aircraft was flying at a dangerously low altitude and tried to alert the pilot without success.
The plane, which had departed from Westchester Airport in a suburb of New York City, crashed about ten miles from the airport near the border of Massachusetts.
Saini immigrated to the United States with her parents and earned her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh, where she met her husband, Michael Groff, a neurosurgeon.
As stated on her medical practice's website in Boston, Saini specialized as a urogynecologist and a female pelvic reconstructive surgeon.
The family statement highlighted that Groff was an experienced pilot who developed a passion for flying after being taught by his father at the age of 16.
Their daughter, Karenna Groff, was a medical student, and her partner, James Santoro, an investment banker who intended to propose soon, also perished in the crash, as confirmed by the family.
Their son, Jared Groff, along with his partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, a law student, were also victims of this tragic incident.
Surviving the tragedy are another daughter of the couple, Anika, and Saini's mother, Kuljit Singh, as per the family statement.
This incident marks the second plane crash in the United States within three days.
The crash follows a separate incident in South Florida on Friday where a Cessna 310 aircraft went down near Boca Raton, resulting in the deaths of all three individuals on board.
A sightseeing helicopter accident involving a family of five from Spain occurred in the Hudson River off Manhattan on Thursday, leading to their deaths, along with the pilot.
