The Mitsubishi MU-2B plane was en route to Columbia County Airport in Hudson when it suddenly went down in a field in Copake. On Saturday, April 12th, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the weather conditions at the time were deteriorating, with a significant cloud cover and low visibility due to fog.
Alexis Kuskie, a sophomore at Eaton High School, said, “Since these plane crashes have been so frequent we need to take extra precautions before people can go places. It’s a scary time to travel. I’m scared to travel. People need to be cautious.”
While it’s uncertain if the weather at the Columbia County Airport mirrored the conditions at the crash site located about ten miles away, the situation seemed perilous.
Jayda Warehime, a sophomore at Eaton High School, said, “I think that we need to check the planes much better. The amount of crashes over the last year have been crazy.”
Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said in an interview with PEOPLE, the investigation is still in early stages and that they still don’t know what caused the crash.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Inman said, “Our objective is not just to find out what happened, but why it happened, so we can make recommendations so this does not happen again. We’re not going to be speculating about what may have caused the accident.”
Inman has also mentioned that the rainy conditions have created mud all around the scene. The “muddy mess” is creating it difficult for investigators to truly see what happened.
Karenna Groff’s family was on board the ill-fated flight. Alongside her were her father, Dr. Michael Groff, a neuroscientist; her mother, Dr. Joy Saini, a urogynecologist; her brother, Jared Groff, a paralegal; and their partners, Alecia Duarte and James Santoto.
Kuskie also said, “I feel extremely sad for the families that have recently been impacted by the frequent crashes.”
Dr. Groff was an experienced pilot. The family departed from a White Plains Airport Saturday morning and were due to land at the Columbia County Airport around noon, but the plane missed its approach.
While the investigation continues, NTSB said they likely won’t be releasing any additional information until their preliminary report is ready.
