Family traveling from baseball tournament die in tragic crash

A tragic plane crash on June 30 claimed the lives of a family of five who were returning from a youth baseball tournament in upstate New York. The family was aboard a single-engine Piper Malibu Mirage plane that took off from Oneonta Municipal Airport and crashed in Masonville, New York, about 90 miles southeast of Syracuse, according to CNN. The victims were Roger Beggs, 76; Laura VanEpps, 43; Ryan VanEpps, 42; James R. VanEpps, 12; and Harrison VanEpps, 10.

They had been in Cooperstown, New York, known for its baseball tournament and the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Local police were notified of a suspected crash around 2 p.m. on Sunday and conducted a search in the Lake Cecil Road area with helicopters, drones, and ATVs. The crash site was eventually found. Roger Beggs was identified as the pilot, and the flight plan included a refueling stop in West Virginia before heading to Atlanta, as reported by People.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp expressed condolences on X, formerly known as Twitter, on July 1. “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 wrote. Ryan VanEpps’ sister, Ansley, also shared her sorrow over the loss.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and state police are investigating the cause of the crash. Our deepest sympathies go out to the VanEpps family and their friends during this difficult time.

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