State Senator Killed In Plane Crash With Wife And Kids

(RepublicanReport.org) – The Grand County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release on Facebook announcing the tragic death of state Senator Doug Larsen (R-ND) following a private airplane crash. The legislator’s wife and their two youngest children also died in the accident. An investigation into the cause is still underway, but the aircraft reportedly went down shortly after it took off.

The press release states that the Grand County, Utah, dispatch center got the call that an airplane took off from the Canyonlands Regional Airport on October 1 at 8:26 p.m. Multiple responders, including Grand County EMS, Moab Valley Fire Department, local sheriff’s deputies, and airport personnel, came in response to the call. Classic Air Medical was able to locate the wreckage at the edge of the airport property.

Daily Wire states that a witness who viewed the crash had called it in, adding that the senator had been aboard a single-engine Piper. Larsen had reportedly stopped at the airport to refuel the aircraft. He and his family were on their way home from a visit with family in Arizona. An older stepchild was not with them when the plane went down.

Larsen first joined the North Dakota Senate in 2020 and also served on its Industry and Business Committee. Before that, he was a member of the North Dakota Army National Guard, where he served for 29 years and received the Army Aviator Badge, Bronze Service Star, and other honors.

The Associated Press reports that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) issued a statement describing Larsen as a man who was passionately committed to his family, his job, and his country. The publication included a picture of the late senator’s desk with a bouquet of roses and lilies honoring the man who filled the now-empty seat.

Investigators are currently reviewing the aircraft’s communications and collecting information from witnesses, radar, and weather reports. They are also looking into airplane maintenance records along with the pilot’s medical records and flight history for possible clues behind the cause of the crash.