Family, including two children who flew from a baseball tournament in New York, die in small plane crash

All five people on board a small single-engine plane, including a family with two children from Georgia, died in a crash on the flight home from a baseball tournament in Cooperstown, New York, authorities said Monday.

The single-engine Piper Malibu Mirage took off from Oneonta Municipal Airport in central New York state on Sunday and crashed in Masonville, about 90 miles southeast of Syracuse, New York State Police said in a news release on Monday.

The victims were identified as Roger Beggs, 76; Laura VanEpps, 43; Ryan VanEpps, 42; James R. VanEpps, 12; and Harrison VanEpps, 10.

The family returned to Georgia after attending a baseball tournament in Cooperstown, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, state police said.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said in a statement on X: “As we learn of this tragic news, please join Marty, the girls and me in praying for the Beggs and VanEpps families. We extend our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved them.”

The plane crashed around 2 p.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement on Sunday.

“Multi-agency searches of the area using drones, ATVs and helicopters resulted in debris and ultimately the downed aircraft being located,” state police said.

The New York State Police is working with the FAA and the National Transportation Board to investigate and determine the cause of the crash.

This is a developing story, please check back later for updates.