Hommam Al Nassim 
Police in New York City announced that five members of one family were killed after their small plane crashed in a wooded area in upstate New York.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported that the single-engine “Piper PA-46” plane crashed around 2 p.m. Sunday after taking off from Alfred Nader Regional Airport in Oneonta.
The New York State Police stated in a press release that the victims were from the state of Georgia, and that the wreckage of the plane and the bodies of the five people were found on Sunday evening in the town of Masonville.
Rescue teams used drones, ATVs and helicopters to search for the crash site, which is about 200 kilometers northwest of New York City.
The victims were identified as: Roger Biggs (76 years old), Laura Van Epps (43 years old), Ryan Van Epps (42 years old), James Van Epps (12 years old), and Harrison Van Epps (10 years old).
Police explained that the family was returning to Georgia after attending a tournament in Cooperstown, where the Baseball Hall of Fame is located, and the plane was heading to Cobb County International Airport in Atlanta, with a refueling stop in West Virginia, when it crashed.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp expressed his condolences in a post on the “X” platform, saying: “We pray for the families of the victims and offer our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved them.”
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board opened an investigation into the accident.
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. https://t.co/HZU0YzDg1x
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) July 1, 2024
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