The family of five from Georgia who died in a plane crash in upstate New York were flying through a patch of bad weather, authorities said.
Flight tracking data reviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board showed the single-engine Piper PA-46 plane “went missing about 12 minutes after takeoff” from Alfred S. Nader Regional Airport in Oneonta on Sunday.
“Preliminary information indicates the aircraft was flying from Oneonta, New York, to Charleston, West Virginia, when it crashed under unknown circumstances,” an NTSB spokesperson told DailyMail.com. “Weather data shows thunderstorm activity along the flight path.”
The family, from Georgia, had flown to the region to attend a baseball tournament, where their eldest son hit a home run.
The plane was being flown by the children’s grandfather, Roger Beggs, 76, when it went down in a rural, wooded area at about 2pm on Sunday.
Laura Van Epps, 43, her husband, Ryan, 42, and their sons James Ryan, 12, and Harrison Van Epps, 10, died in the crash along with Laura’s father, Roger Beggs, 76.
Flight tracking data reviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board showed the family was flying through an area of ”thunderstorm activity.”
Beggs died in the crash along with her daughter Laura Van Epps, 43, her husband Ryan, 42, and their two sons, James Ryan, 12, and his brother Harrison Van Epps, 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 was heading back to Cobb County International Airport in Atlanta with a refueling stop in West Virginia when the plane crashed, New York State Police said.
Data shows there were storms along the flight path, but they had not yet touched ground when the family took off.
Winds were blowing at 8 mph at takeoff, but by the time they reached 8,700 feet the plane was inside the storm cell and was likely hit by turbulence, according to Jim Brewster, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Binghamton.
The family had been flying from New York to Georgia after attending a baseball tournament where James Ryan hit a grand slam.
Laura’s father had offered to fly the family in a single-engine Piper PA-46 plane (model pictured) to the tournament.
Data from the plane carrying the family was lost approximately 12 minutes after takeoff from Alfred S. Nader Regional Airport.
“Air rises very quickly, and in contrast, air sinks very quickly in these storm cells or rain cells,” Brewster said. The Times Union.
The wreckage of the plane was spread over a mile and all major parts were found except the rudder.
Drones, all-terrain vehicles and helicopters were used to search the remote crash site, which is about 125 miles northwest of New York City.
The family had begun their journey back to Alpharetta, Georgia, in the Atlanta suburbs, after watching their 12-year-old son James’ baseball team play in a tournament in Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
James Ryan hit a grand slam during the youth baseball tournament.
His coach, Frank Tumminia Jr., shared the milestone in an emotional tribute on Facebook.
“JR Van Epps achieved a GRAND SLAM. His parents were too modest and humble to post about his athletic dominance, so that’s my job today as a coach,” Tumminia said.
Ryan’s sister, Ansley Van Epps, said Laura was a lifelong friend and her nephews were her little friends.
James Ryan’s coach, Frank Tumminia Jr., said he will remember the athlete “as the quintessential human being.”
‘Kids learn through mistakes, it’s part of evolution. JR made no mistakes… in any facet of his life: relationships, school, and, my God, if he’s ever hit you, you know it… every time he touched the field.
‘Today and as long as I live, I will teach the living testimony of JR. A little piece of me left with him yesterday afternoon. I will remember him as the human being par excellence.’
Ryan’s sister, Ansley Van Epps, created a Facebook group for loved ones called ‘In Loving Memory of the Van Epps Family.’
“Ryan, Laura, James Ryan and Harrison were amazing to all of us who knew them. From the moment Laura came into our family, I knew she would be a lifelong friend,” Ansley said.
‘James Ryan and Harrison were my little friends, my husband taught them to swim and we spent as much time as we could with them whenever we visited Roswell.
“My heart is broken, but I am lucky to have been able to call Ryan my brother, Laura my sister-in-law, and James Ryan and Harrison my sweet nephews.”