Family of five including two children killed in plane crash in New York after trip for baseball tournament

Isabella Boneham
By Isabella Boneham

Reporter

2nd Jul 2024, 7:15am
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Five members of a family died when their small plane crashed in a wooded area of upstate New York.

The family from Georgia were visiting Cooperstown in New York when their plane crashed, authorities said Monday (1 July). The single-engine Piper PA-46 crashed around 2pm on Sunday (30 June) after taking off from Albert S. Nader 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 was about 125 miles (200 kilometers) northwest of New York City.

Five members of a family died when their small plane crashed in a wooded area of upstate New York. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)Five members of a family died when their small plane crashed in a wooded area of upstate New York. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)
Five members of a family died when their small plane crashed in a wooded area of upstate New York. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images

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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 were returning to Georgia after attending a tournament in Cooperstown, the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, police said.

The force added that the plane was headed to Cobb County International Airport in Atlanta with a fuelling stop in West Virginia when it crashed. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, 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.

Related topics:New YorkAir Travel

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