Topline A North Dakota state senator and three of his immediate family members were killed in a plane crash Sunday evening in Utah, local authorities confirmed.
Doug Larsen represented North Dakota’s District 34 in the state senate from 2021 until his death on … [+] Sunday, October 1. (AP Photo/Jack Dura)
Associated Press Key Facts Republican lawmaker Doug Larsen, his wife and their two youngest children died in a plane crash in Utah on Sunday, according to the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.
The single aircraft, flown by Larsen, crashed into the ground Sunday at 8: 26 p.m. MDT after taking off from Canyonlands Regional Airport north of Moab, Utah, authorities said.
A National Transportation Safety Board investigator was on the scene Monday “to begin to document the scene, examine the aircraft, request any air traffic communications, radar data, weather reports and try to contact any witnesses” and will request aircraft maintenance records, among other things, spokesperson Keith Holloway told Forbes.
Holloway said the plane was a Piper PA-28-140 airplane, a single-engine airplane suitable for one crew member and three passengers.
Crucial Quote “As a legislator, he was a tenacious advocate for individual rights and the freedoms he defended through his military service. We extend our deepest sympathies and prayers to his family and friends,” North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, also a Republican presidential candidate, said in a statement shared with Forbes.
Key Background Larsen was elected to the North Dakota state Senate in 2020. He represented a population of over 14,000 people in District 34 and chaired the state Senate’s Industry and Business Committee. Burgum’s office told Forbes that Larsen spent 29 years in the North Dakota Army National Guard and received the Meritorious Service Medal, Bronze Service Star and Army Aviator Badge, among other honors. He and his wife co-owned Apex Builders, a property development and contracting business.
What To Watch For The Federal Aviation Agency, Grand County Sheriff’s Office and NTSB will address the public at 4 p.m. local time.