3 Swarthmore College graduates killed in plane crash in Upstate New York
On Saturday, April 12, 2024, a plane headed to Columbia County Airport in Hudson, New York, crashed, killing six people.
Among the six victims include three Swarthmore College graduates.
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Swarthmore College family is grieving the loss of three graduates after a devastating plane crash occurred in New York Saturday.
Three people the president of the college calls extraordinary.
The backstory
Six people, all from one family, died in the plane that went down in upstate New York on Saturday.
They were on their way to celebrate a birthday and Passover in the Catskills.
The National Transportation Safety Board says on Saturday morning, they all headed to Westchester County Airport where they boarded a private twin-engine plane owned by Michael Groff.
They were set to land at Columbia County Airport but crashed roughly 10 miles to the south.
Everyone on board died, including the pilot Michael Groff and his wife Joy Saini, who were both physicians. Their daughter, Karenna Groff, an MIT soccer player, named the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year, her partner, James Santoro, along with Jared Groff and his partner, Alexia Duarte.
Michael graduated from Swarthmore College in 1988, Jared graduated in 2022 and Alexia in 2023.
Alexia is also survived by her sister, Ariana Duarte, who attends Swarthmore and was studying abroad when the plane crashed.
What they're saying
"Now, what we can say is weather was at that time what we consider to be deteriorating. And I mentioned the ceiling at the airport being 400 AGL—that's above ground level at 400 feet AGL for that approach at that airport. It would be the minimum for a landing under an IFR instrument flight approach," said J. Todd Inman, a member of the NTSB.
"We verified that this owner and operator, and we have confirmed the owner is the same person as the operator, that this person, this owner and operator went through that training and was fully certified to be on that aircraft and flying it," Inman added.
In a statement, the President of Swarthmore said, "In the face of such devastating news, we recognize and celebrate all that these extraordinary individuals meant to us, as well as support those who knew, mentored, and loved them. And they were extraordinary. On behalf of everyone at Swarthmore, our hearts go out to the families and friends of those we lost on Saturday, and to everyone affected by their tragic passing. Please join us in sending them peace and light."
What's next
The President also says the college will celebrate the lives of those who died in ways that their families feel are most meaningful and will share any public plans when they're available.
In the meantime, the school will have resources available to help students and staff who might need help dealing with this loss.
The Source
The information in this story is from the National Transportation Safety Board and Swarthmore College.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Plane was overweight with moose meat, antlers before fatal crash in Alaska, NTSB says
An Alaska plane crash that killed the husband of former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK) was likely caused by excess moose meat weight and antlers on board, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board. Eugene "Buzzy" Peltola Jr. was flying a plane in a remote wilderness area in St. Mary's, Alaska, during a hunting trip on Sept. 12, 2023, when it crashed. He died from blunt force injuries a few hours after the accident, according to the NTSB. NTSB's final report about the crash, which was released July 22, said the plane was "heavily loaded" with moose meat, and antlers were mounted to its right wing without proper authorization. As a result, the plane was overloaded by more than 100 pounds, and the antlers interfered with takeoff, likely causing the crash, according to the NTSB. Plane crash: Plane crashes in Russia's far east, nearly 50 people on board feared dead Plane was carrying second load of moose meat when it crashed Peltola was transporting moose meat in two separate loads to an operating base after a hunting trip. After Peltola successfully completed a trip to transport the first load, the hunters loaded the plane, a Piper PA, more heavily with meat for the second trip, NTSB said in the report. In addition to carrying about 520 pounds of moose meat, the plane was also transporting antlers attached to the right wing during that trip. In total, the plane's weight was 117 pounds over the maximum allowed, according to the NTSB. While carrying antlers externally is a common practice in Alaska, it requires special approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, which the plane did not have, according to the NTSB. During takeoff, the plane became airborne before crashing moments later. Peltola survived the initial impact but died less than two hours later, the report said. According to the NTSB's report, the probable cause of the crash was a combination of the airplane carrying more than its maximum approved weight as well as the external load of antlers, which likely degraded the plane's performance during takeoff. Pilot who died in plane crash was husband of former Alaska congresswoman Eugene Peltola Jr. previously served as regional director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Alaska before his death. He had his pilot's license since 1993, according to the NTSB. He was also married to former Rep. Mary Peltola, who served in Congress from 2022 until her reelection loss last year. Rep. Peltola's office said in a statement at the time of her husband's death that they were "heartbroken for the family's loss." "He was one of those people that was obnoxiously good at everything. He had a delightful sense of humor that lightened the darkest moments," the statement said. Former President Joe Biden also issued a statement following Peltola's death, calling him "a devoted public servant" and "friend to all." "Spend even a minute with Mary and you'll feel the love she has for her state and its people, and most of all, the love she has for her husband and their seven children," the statement said. Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at
The Hill
3 days ago
- The Hill
Plane in crash that killed Peltola husband was overloaded with moose meat: NTSB
The plane crash that killed the husband of former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) was overloaded with moose meat, according to a Tuesday report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Eugene Peltola Jr. was flying solo almost two years ago in a Piper PA-18-150 small aircraft that was loaded with 117 pounds, measuring 6 percent over its maximum takeoff weight, the agency reported. 'It was so heavy that, even after consuming fuel enroute, the airplane still would have been about 180 lbs over its maximum landing weight upon reaching the destination,' the agency said of the Sept. 23, 2023 crash. Peltola was transporting meat from St. Mary's for a group of five hunters after successfully hunting a moose. His first trip was 'uneventful,' but the second flight struggled to take off, partially because the animal's antlers were strapped to the outside of the plane, the NTSB wrote in its report. Although the practice of carrying antlers externally is common in Alaska, it requires prior approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, as outlined by the NTSB. 'Following the accident, the cargo was examined and weighed, revealing a load of about 520 lbs that consisted primarily of moose meat and the set of antlers. About 150 lbs of meat was found in the forward section of the belly pod; the remaining portions were secured in the rear cabin seating area. The antlers were secured to the inboard side of the right wing strut,' the NTSB said. 'There was no evidence that any of the meat had shifted in flight, and the antlers remained firmly attached to the wing strut and were not interfering with any of the flight control cables,' the agency added. Investigators found that Peltola's plane was manufactured 70 years before the accident and underwent multiple major repairs so that almost none of the original airplane existed. However, the ultimate cause of death was from blunt force injuries. Onlookers rushed to help Peltola after the crash but without extensive medical treatment, authorities said he was unlikely to survive. 'Given the remote location of the accident site, which was about 400 miles from a hospital, and accessible only by air, providing the pilot with prompt medical treatment following the accident was not possible,' the NTSB said. Peltola had received his commercial license nearly two decades prior to the crash and worked for years at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
Plane that crashed, killing husband of ex-Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola, had too much moose meat and was dragged by antlers, NTSB says
— A small plane that crashed in 2023 while carrying moose meat for hunters in remote western Alaska, killing the husband of former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, was overweight for takeoff and encountered drag from a set of antlers mounted outside, federal investigators said in a report released Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board, in its final report on the crash that killed Eugene Peltola Jr., who was the only person on board the aircraft, listed several factors among its probable cause findings. They included decisions by Peltola to fly the plane above its maximum takeoff weight and affix a set of moose antlers on the right wing strut that caused a drag, along with turbulent flight conditions in the area. Downdrafts, "along with the overweight airplane and the added drag and lateral weight imbalance caused by the antlers on the right wing, would likely have resulted in the airplane having insufficient power and/or control authority to maneuver above terrain," the report states. "Number one was, obviously, the overweight condition — no ifs, ands, or buts there," CBS Anchorage affiliate KYES-TV quotes NTSB Alaska Region Chief Clint Johnson as saying. "The parasitic drag from the antlers that were attached to the right wing, and then also the last thing would be the wind, the mechanical wind turbulence at the end of the takeoff area, which unfortunately, led to this accident. "If you would have been able to take one of those items out, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation. But those things all in combination led to this tragic accident." The Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub crashed Sept. 12, 2023, northeast of the small western Alaska community of St. Mary's. Peltola had days earlier taken five hunters, a guide and equipment from the community of Holy Cross to an airstrip at St. Mary's. The group set up camp next to the runway, which was near hilly terrain and about 70 miles northwest of Holy Cross, the agency said. The day before the crash, the group got a moose and made plans with Peltola, via satellite messaging devices, for him to transport the meat, the NTSB said. On the day of the crash, Peltola had already picked up a load of meat and had returned for another. He didn't use scales to weigh the cargo, the agency said. "The meat was strapped into the rear passenger seat area with both the seatbelt and rope and was loaded into the airplane's belly pod, which did not have tie-down provisions," a September 2023 NTSB preliminary report on the crash said. The NTSB found about 150 pounds of the meat in the forward section of the belly pod after the crash, the report said. One of the hunters said Peltola Jr. told him he would be running on reserve fuel by the time he arrived back at Holy Cross. Two hunters were at the site when the crash occurred and provided aid to Peltola, the agency previously reported. Peltola died of his injuries within about two hours, the agency said. "Given the remote location of the accident site, which was about 400 miles from a hospital, and accessible only by air, providing the pilot with prompt medical treatment following the accident was not possible," Tuesday's report states. The agency said carrying antlers on the outside of a plane is a common practice in Alaska but requires formal approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, with a notation in the plane's logbooks. "There was no evidence that such approval had been granted for the accident airplane," the report states. Peltola was a former Alaska regional director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and worked for decades for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He had received his commercial pilot's license in 2004, requiring him to use corrective lenses at all distances, according to an FAA database. His death came almost exactly a year after Mary Peltola was sworn in as Alaska's lone U.S. House member, following a special election for the seat. Mary Peltola, who is Yup'ik, was the first Alaska Native in Congress. Peltola, a Democrat, defeated former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in a 2022 special election for the House seat, which had been left vacant after Rep. Don Young died in office at the age of 88. She won a full, two-year term in November 2022 but lost her reelection bid last November and has kept a relatively low public profile since then. Plane Crash
