MASONVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — Five members of a family from Georgia who were visiting Cooperstown, New York, for a baseball tournament died when their small plane crashed in a rural, wooded area, authorities said Monday.
The single-engine Piper PA-46 crashed around 2 p.m. Sunday after taking off from a regional airport in Oneonta, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
The wreckage of the plane and the remains of the five people on board were found Sunday night in the town of Masonville, the New York State Police said in a news release. Drones, all-terrain vehicles and helicopters were used to search for the remote crash site, which is about 125 miles (200 kilometers) northwest of New York City.
The victims were identified as Roger Beggs, 76; Laura Van Epps, 42; Ryan Van Epps, 42; James Van Epps, 12; and Harrison Van Epps, 10.
The family was returning to Georgia after watching the 12-year-old boy’s baseball team play in a tournament in Cooperstown, the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“It’s just a massive tragedy for our family and the end of five great lives, especially young lives,” Jim Van Epps said of the loss of his son, his daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.
Jim Van Epps told The Associated Press that his grandsons, who lived in the Atlanta suburb of Milton, were doing exceptional in school and in sports, with 10-year-old Harrison an up-and-coming lacrosse player.
“Ryan and Laura supported their boys in whatever endeavor they wanted to do,” he said.
Online records show that Beggs held a pilot’s license. Jim Van Epps said Laura Van Epps’ father had volunteered to fly the family to upstate New York and watched the tournament with them.
The plane was headed to Cobb County International Airport in Atlanta with a fueling stop in West Virginia when it crashed, the state police said.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said on the social media platform X that he and his family were praying for the victims’ families and offered “our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved them.”
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the family’s last name to Van Epps, not VanEpps. It also corrects Laura Van Epps’ age to 42, not 43 as originally reported by police.
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Rephrased content:
Five members of a family from Georgia tragically lost their lives in a plane crash while visiting Cooperstown, New York, for a baseball tournament. The small aircraft, a single-engine Piper PA-46, went down at approximately 2 p.m. on Sunday after departing from a regional airport in Oneonta, as reported by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The wreckage of the plane and the bodies of the five individuals onboard were discovered on Sunday night in the rural town of Masonville, according to a news release from the New York State Police. Search efforts using drones, all-terrain vehicles, and helicopters led to the location of the crash site, situated about 125 miles northwest of New York City.
The victims were identified as Roger Beggs, 76; Laura Van Epps, 42; Ryan Van Epps, 42; James Van Epps, 12; and Harrison Van Epps, 10. The family was returning home to Georgia after attending a baseball tournament in Cooperstown, known for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Jim Van Epps expressed profound grief over the loss of his son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren, describing it as a devastating loss for the family. The two young boys were excelling academically and in sports, with 10-year-old Harrison showing promise in lacrosse.
The pilot, Roger Beggs, held a pilot’s license, and the family had traveled to upstate New York with Laura Van Epps’ father, who had volunteered to fly them and had watched the baseball tournament with them. The ill-fated trip was bound for Cobb County International Airport in Atlanta, with a planned stop for refueling in West Virginia before the crash occurred.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp took to social media to convey his condolences to the families of the victims and assured them that his family was keeping them in their thoughts and prayers. Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are conducting investigations into the tragic incident.
This update corrects the spelling of the family’s last name and Laura Van Epps’ age, previously reported as VanEpps and 43, respectively.
