New details released in upstate NY plane crash that killed 5 family members

Victoria E. Freile and Jeff Murray, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·2 min read

Authorities released more details about a fatal plane crash in Delaware County on Sunday, after a federal investigator evaluated the crash site.

NY plane crash: Five family members killed

A small single-engine plane crashed in a wooded area in Masonville and killed all five people on board. The passengers were a family from Georgia, including two children, who were returning home after attending a weekend baseball tournament in Cooperstown, according to New York State Police. Masonville is roughly 36 miles east of Binghamton.

New information released in New York plane crash

While the cause of the crash hasn't been determined, the National Transportation Safety Board released new information Tuesday morning after one of its investigators examined the crash site Monday afternoon.

The Piper Malibu Mirage departed from Albert S. Nader Regional Airport in Oneonta, Otsego County, around 1:40 p.m. Sunday with five people on board. The plane was headed to Charleston, West Virginia to refuel, then to the family's final destination of Cobb County International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia.

Flight tracking data was lost about 12 minutes after departure, according to the NTSB. The plane crashed in the area of Trout Creek.

Meteorological data shows storm activity along the flight path, although there is no indication at this time if the weather was a factor of the crash.

VanEpps family members killed in NY plane crash

State police identified the family killed in the crash as Roger Beggs, 76, Laura VanEpps, 42, Ryan VanEpps, 42, James R. VanEpps, 12, and Harrison VanEpps, 10. Troopers said that Beggs was piloting the airplane and that he was Laura VanEpps' father and the boys' grandfather.

NY plane crash investigation ongoing

The debris path is about a mile long, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. All major portions of the plane have been located except for the rudder. The wreckage is being transported to an off-site facility for further evaluation.

The National Transportation Safety Board will issue a preliminary report within 30 days, although a final report with conclusions about probable cause and contributing factors won't be completed for 12 to 24 months.

In the meantime, the agency is asking that anyone who finds wreckage, who witnessed the crash or has video, to report it via email at witness@ntsb.gov.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: New details released in NY plane crash that killed 5 family members