Five Killed in Delaware County, New York Plane Crash
On June 30, 2024, at approximately 2:00 p.m., New York State Police responded to a report of a possible plane crash near Lake Cecil Road in Masonville. A multi-agency search operation, involving drones, ATVs, and helicopters, led to the discovery of debris and the downed aircraft.
The aircraft, a Piper Malibu Mirage, was located with the following passengers, all of whom tragically did not survive the crash: Roger Beggs, age 76, Laura VanEpps, age 43, Ryan VanEpps, age 42, James R. VanEpps, age 12, Harrison VanEpps, age 10.
All passengers were family members from Georgia and were in Cooperstown, NY, for a baseball tournament. The plane had departed from Alfred S. Nader Regional Airport in Oneonta, NY, and was en route to West Virginia to refuel, with its ultimate destination being Cobb County International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia.
The New York State Police would like to thank the area residents and the following law enforcement and emergency service partners for their assistance:
- Delaware County Sheriff’s Office
- Walton Police Department
- Delaware County Office of Emergency Management
- Delaware County Tech Rescue Team
- EnCon Forest Rangers
- Department of Environmental Protection
- LifeNet
- Bainbridge EMS
- Sidney EMS
- Ambulanz Ambulance Service
- Delaware County EMS – AMR Ambulance
- Trout Creek Fire Department
- Hancock Fire Department
- Masonville Fire Department
- Walton Fire Department
- Sidney Center Fire Department
- Delhi Fire Department
- Downsville Fire Department
- Deposit Fire Department
- Broome County Mutual Aid
- Schoharie Fire Department
- Delaware County Medical Examiner
The New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Collision Reconstruction Unit, and Forensic Identification Unit are working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to determine the cause of the crash.