TOMPKINS, NY — A plane crash in the Town of Tompkins, Delaware County, killed five people from Georgia flying south out from a regional airport in Oneonta.

At 2:30 p.m. on June 30, Delaware County asked forest rangers for help finding the plane, which crashed in the area of Herrick Hollow Road. Crews found pieces of the wings and tail between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m., at which point Ranger Jason Seeley helped organize additional search crews. They found more pieces of the plane.

At 8:35 p.m., rangers and officers from the NYC Department of Environmental Protection found the rest of the wreckage and determined that all five people on board, including two children, were dead. The following day, rangers returned to the scene to help other agencies. The victims were extricated and turned over to the coroner. 

The NYS Police reported the deaths of Roger Beggs, 76; Laura VanEpps, 43; Ryan VanEpps, 42; James R. VanEpps, 12; and Harrison VanEpps, 10. They were family members who were in Cooperstown for a baseball tournament. The bodies were found inside a Piper Malibu Mirage.

Ranger Nate Laymon organized the search efforts working with officers from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Delaware County Emergency Management, NYS Police and numerous volunteer fire departments.