A woman celebrating her 26th birthday was injured and her friend was killed Tuesday when the car they were in plowed into a tree near JFK Airport, cops said.

Birthday girl Karin Palmer and her friends were heading home when Patina Deygoo, 22, died in the 3:30 a.m. crash, authorities said.

Deygoo, of Valley Stream, was in the back seat of the Nissan sedan when its driver missed a Nassau Expressway exit, lost control and hit the tree, cops said.

Palmer, of Springfield Gardens, Queens, was in the front passenger seat and suffered serious, but not life-threatening, injuries, cops said. She and the unidentified driver were taken to Jamaica Hospital. Palmer was listed in stable condition. The driver was listed in critical condition. Police are trying to determine if alcohol was involved.

Deygoo’s heartbroken father, Lancelot, 54 said his daughter had just graduated from Queensborough Community College, and was looking forward to her May graduation ceremony.

“She was so kind, kind to a fault,” he said. “She never gave me trouble.”