DELAWARE COUNTY, N.Y. — A preliminary crash report from the National Transportation Safety Board says weather may have been a factor in the plane crash that killed five members of a metro Atlanta family.
Laura, Ryan, James and Harrison Van Epps and Laura’s father Roger Beggs died in the crash on Sunday on their way back to Georgia from a baseball tournament in Cooperstown, New York.
Officials told Channel 2 Action News that the Piper airplane was headed to Charleston, W.V. on its way from Oneonta, N.Y. when it crashed under unknown circumstances.
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The plane was set to land in West Virginia to refuel before completing its flight home to Cobb County International Airport. The crash itself occurred around 1:40 p.m. on Sunday, according to the NTSB.
According to an NTSB spokesperson, preliminary details from their investigation, which began July 1, indicated that meteorological data on June 30 showed storm activity in the flight’s path.
“The plane took off from Oneonta around 1:40 p.m. Flight tracking data was lost about 12 minutes after departure. The plane crashed in near the area of Trout Creek,” NTSB said in a statement.
In total, the debris path of the crash was about a mile long, with officials saying all of the major portions of the plane have been found except for the rudder. The NTSB is asking residents who may find material that could be a plane to contact the agency via email.
The remainder of the plane has been recovered and brought to an offsite facility to be further evaluated as part of the investigation.
As far as the investigative process, the NTSB says it normally focuses on three factors when investigating plane crashes, those being the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment.
The NTSB will release a more comprehensive preliminary report within 30 days, but a final report on the cause of the crash won’t be available until up to two years later, officials said.
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Channel 2′s Audrey Washington was on Richmond Glen Circle on Monday, where she learned more about the family from their neighbors.
“It’s an entire family. I mean it’s a part of our neighborhood,” neighbor Paul Cruz told Washington, becoming emotional. “It’s not something you want to hear.”
A local baseball coach told Channel 2 Action News that the James and Harrison were popular among their peers and that the baseball community was sharing their condolences privately.
A video shared with Channel 2 Action News on Tuesday showed the moment 12-year-old James Van Epps hit a grand slam at the youth baseball tournament in Cooperstown, just a few days before the family’s tragic death.
A statement provided by Ansley Van Epps on behalf of the Van Epps family urged the community to come together to remember and celebrate the lives the victims lived.
“Their kindness, laughter, and love will forever be etched in our hearts. Please keep their loved ones and our family in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time. May we find strength and solace in the memories and the outpouring of love from all who knew them,” the statement read.
Separately, Gov. Brian Kemp also shared his condolences on Monday, saying “As we learn of this tragic news, please join Marty, the girls, and me in praying for the loved ones of the Beggs and Van Epps families. We offer our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved them.”
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