Plane Crash Kills GA Family Of 4 In NY: Police

MASONVILLE, NY — A family of four visiting Cooperstown from Georgia were killed in a plane crash Sunday in upstate New York, state authorities said Monday.

The crash happened around 2 p.m. in the area of Lake Cecil Road in Masonville, New York, the state police department said in a news release.

Several agencies responding to the scene used drones, ATVs and helicopters to search the area, New York State Police said. They found debris and were ultimately led to the downed plane, a Piper Malibu Mirage, police said.

Those killed in the crash were Roger Beggs, 76, Laura VanEpps, 43, Ryan VanEpps, 42, James R. VanEpps, 12, and Harrison VanEpps, 10, police said.

Police said all of the passengers were family members; however, a member of the flight crew also died, per a Federal Aviation Administration incident report obtained by Patch.

Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday shared his condolences via X, formerly Twitter.

"As we learn of this tragic news, please join Marty, the girls and me in praying for the loved ones of the Beggs and VanEpps families. We offer our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved them," he tweeted.

It is unknown where in Georgia the family lived.

The group was visiting Cooperstown, New York, for a baseball tournament, police said.

Their plane had left the Alfred S. Nader Regional Airport in Oneonta, New York, and was on its way to West Virginia to refuel, police said. The plane was ultimately head to the Cobb County International Airport in Kennesaw, police said.

The incident report said the plane crashed under unknown circumstances.

The New York State Police Bureau of Criminal of Investigation, Collision Reconstruction Unit and Forensic Identification Unit are partnering with the FAA and National Transportation Board to determine the cause of the crash.