NEWS
Five Dead After Plane Crash in Trout Creek
TROUT CREEK -
By Mary A. Crisafulli
MASONVILLE - Amongst the wreckage of a plane crash in Masonville, five victims were pronounced dead on the scene - Roger Beggs, 76, Laura VanEpps, 42, Ryan VanEpps 42, James R. VanEpps, 12, and Harrison VanEpps, 10. The Piper PA-46, a small aircraft, was spotted going down around 1:55 p.m. just twelve minutes after it departed from Oneonta-Albert S. Nader Airport.
According to the Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives, the plane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed roughly 40 km southwest of Oneonta Airport.
All five passengers of the private flight were family members from Georgia visiting Cooperstown for a baseball tournament, reads the New York State press release. The family was heading back home with a planned fuel stop in West Virginia, the release says. State police units of Criminal Investigation, Collision Reconstruction, and Forensic Identification are working to determine the cause of the crash.
Although the crash took place in the early afternoon, the site was not discovered until dusk, said Delaware County Emergency Services Director Steve Hood. "Responders used a grid search with responders walking through the woods to locate the plane as well as aerial searches from Lifenet and New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police," said Hood, "Several pieces of the plane were found during the search which allowed responders to narrow down the search area." The plane was found near Lake Cecil Road.
Other responding units included the Delaware County Sheriff's Office, Walton Police Department, Delaware County Office of Emergency Management, Delaware County Tech Rescue Team, EnCon Forest Rangers, Bainbridge EMS, Sidney EMS, Ambulanz, Delaware County EMS (AMR Ambulance), Broome County Mutual Aid, Delaware County Medical Examiner, and the following fire departments - Trout Creek, Hancock, Masonville, Walton, Sidney Center, Delhi, Downsville, Deposit, and Schoharie.
By Mary A. Crisafulli
MASONVILLE - Amongst the wreckage of a plane crash in Masonville, five victims were pronounced dead on the scene - Roger Beggs, 76, Laura VanEpps, 42, Ryan VanEpps 42, James R. VanEpps, 12, and Harrison VanEpps, 10. The Piper PA-46, a small aircraft, was spotted going down around 1:55 p.m. just twelve minutes after it departed from Oneonta-Albert S. Nader Airport.
According to the Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives, the plane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed roughly 40 km southwest of Oneonta Airport.
All five passengers of the private flight were family members from Georgia visiting Cooperstown for a baseball tournament, reads the New York State press release. The family was heading back home with a planned fuel stop in West Virginia, the release says. State police units of Criminal Investigation, Collision Reconstruction, and Forensic Identification are working to determine the cause of the crash.
Although the crash took place in the early afternoon, the site was not discovered until dusk, said Delaware County Emergency Services Director Steve Hood. "Responders used a grid search with responders walking through the woods to locate the plane as well as aerial searches from Lifenet and New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police," said Hood, "Several pieces of the plane were found during the search which allowed responders to narrow down the search area." The plane was found near Lake Cecil Road.
Other responding units included the Delaware County Sheriff's Office, Walton Police Department, Delaware County Office of Emergency Management, Delaware County Tech Rescue Team, EnCon Forest Rangers, Bainbridge EMS, Sidney EMS, Ambulanz, Delaware County EMS (AMR Ambulance), Broome County Mutual Aid, Delaware County Medical Examiner, and the following fire departments - Trout Creek, Hancock, Masonville, Walton, Sidney Center, Delhi, Downsville, Deposit, and Schoharie.