Georgia family of five is killed in small plane crash: Parents, sons aged 10 and 12, and pilot grandfather, 76, die returning from baseball tournament where eldest child hit a grand slam

A family of five, consisting of parents, their two sons and their pilot grandfather, have died in a plane crash in upstate New York.

The Georgia family had flown to the area for a baseball tournament, where their eldest child hit a home run.

The plane, a single-engine Piper PA-46, was being piloted by the children’s grandfather, 76-year-old Roger Beggs, when it crashed in a rural, wooded area around 2 p.m. Sunday.

Beggs died in the crash along with his daughter Laura VanEpps, 43, her husband Ryan, 42, and their two children: 12-year-old James and his brother Harrison VanEpps, who was 10.

The plane had just taken off from Alfred S. Nader Regional Airport in Oneonta when it crashed in Delaware County, near Sidney, about 40 miles northeast of Binghamton.

The family had begun their return trip to Alpharetta, Georgia, on the outskirts of Atlanta, after watching their 12-year-old son, James, play the baseball team in a tournament

The wreckage of the plane and the remains of the five occupants were found Sunday evening in the town of Masonville, New York State Police said.

Drones, all-terrain vehicles and helicopters were deployed to search the remote crash site, located about 125 miles (200 kilometers) northwest of New York City.

The family had begun their return trip to Alpharetta, Georgia, on the outskirts of Atlanta, after watching their 12-year-old son James’ baseball team play in Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

James hit a grand slam during the youth baseball tournament.

In a moving tribute Monday, players at the Oneonta baseball field where James played Sunday laid down their gloves with his initials: J.R.

“As we process this unimaginable loss, we must come together to remember and celebrate the beautiful lives they lived,” the Van Epps family said in a statement on Facebook.

“Their kindness, their laughter and their love will be forever etched in our hearts.”

Parts of the plane wreckage were found in a rural forest area

Ryan’s father, Jim Van Epps, also agreed with him.

“It is a tremendous tragedy for our family and the end of five beautiful lives, especially young lives,” Van Epps said of the loss of his son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.

Van Epps said his grandsons did well in school and sports, and that 10-year-old Harrison was a promising lacrosse player.

“Ryan and Laura supported their boys in whatever they wanted to do,” he said.

Laura Van Epps’ father, Beggs, had volunteered to fly the family to upstate New York and went with them to watch the tournament.

The plane was returning to Cobb County International Airport in Atlanta with a refueling stop in West Virginia when it crashed, state police said.

Grandfather Jim Van Epps said his grandsons did well in school and sports, with 10-year-old Harrison, left, a rising lacrosse player. Parents Ryan and Laura were said to be supportive parents

Baseball players from local teams in the Upstate New York community gathered to pay tribute

In a moving tribute Monday, players at the Oneonta baseball field where James played Sunday laid down their gloves with his initials: J.R.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said on the social media platform X that he and his family were praying for the families of the victims.

“As we learn of this tragic news, I join Marty, the girls, and I in our prayers for the loved ones of the Beggs and VanEpps families,” Kemp wrote.

“We extend our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved them.”

“We were neighbors. We saw each other every day and we always said hello to the boys and sometimes they would come over. They just lived across the street and we would always wave and say hello and they were nice,” neighbor Caroline Slayton told First, the news from Atlanta.

“We are all devastated. They were the kindest family and the sweetest people.”

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.