American authorities announced the deaths of five family members who were visiting Cooperstown for a baseball championship when their small plane crashed in a forested area of upstate New York. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that the single-engine Piper PA-46 aircraft crashed after taking off from Alfred G. Whitted Regional Airport in Oneonta. New York State Police reported that the victims were from Georgia, and said that the wreckage of the plane and the remains of the five people aboard were found in Masonville. Drones, all-terrain vehicles, and helicopters were used to search for the crash site, which was about 200 kilometers northwest of New York City.
The victims were identified as Roger Biggs (76 years old), Laura Van Eps (43 years old), Ryan Van Eps (42 years old), James Van Eps (12 years old), and Harrison Van Eps (10 years old). Police stated that the family was returning to Georgia after attending a tournament in Cooperstown, where the Baseball Hall of Fame is located. They added that the plane was headed to Cobb County International Airport in Atlanta and was set to stop for fuel in West Virginia when it crashed due to a mechanical failure. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp expressed that he and his family are praying for the victims' families and extend "deepest condolences to all who knew and loved them." The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened an investigation into the incident.