A state senator from North Dakota, his wife, and two of their young children died when their small plane crashed soon after taking off, a Senate leader announced Monday.
Doug Larsen’s death was confirmed Monday in an email that Republican Senate Majority Leader David Hogue sent to his fellow senators and was obtained by The Associated Press.
Larsen’s death comes less than a month after the death of Buzzy Peltola, the husband of Alaska’s U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola. Peltola also died in a plane crash.
Larsen’s plane crashed Sunday evening shortly after a refueling stop from Canyonlands Airfield about 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of the town of Moab near Utah’s Arches National Park, according to a Grand County Sheriff’s Department statement posted on Facebook.
The sheriff’s office said the senator was flying home after a trip to Arizona… and that and all four people on board the plane were killed.
“Senator Doug Larsen, his wife Amy, and their two young children died in a plane crash last evening in Utah,” Hogue wrote in his email. “They were visiting family in Scottsdale and returning home. They stopped to refuel in Utah.”
Larsen is survived by a third stepchild who was not on the plane, The Daily Mail reported.
“I’m not sure where the bereavement starts with such a tragedy, but I think it starts with prayers for the grandparents, surviving stepchild of Senator Larsen, and extended family of Doug and Amy,” Hogue wrote. “Hold your family close today.
A bouquet of roses was draped over Larsen’s desk in the Senate chamber, just above the nameplate that reads: “D. Larsen – District 34.”
Take a look —
These roses were placed on the desk of North Dakota State Sen. Doug Larsen at the state Capitol today.
Larsen, his wife, and their 2 young kids were killed Sunday when their plane crashed in Utah, according to a state Senate leader. (AP Photo/Jack Dura)https://t.co/Za8OUSMXdr pic.twitter.com/vWwloClt8q
— The Recount (@therecount) October 2, 2023
The crash of the single-engine Piper plane was being investigated, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a post on Twitter.
An NTSB spokesman said a board investigator was expected to arrive at 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.”
The spokesman added that he would check Larsen’s medical records, his flight history, and the plane’s maintenance records.
Officials didn’t release the plane’s origin or final destination. After landing at the airport, the travelers took a car into Moab before taking off in the refueled plane, NTSB spokesman Fabian Salazar said at a news conference at the airport.
The agency will have a preliminary report on the crash within a few weeks, followed by a final report in a year to year and a half, Salazar said.
Take a look —
Larsen was a Republican first elected to the North Dakota Senate in 2020. His district comprises Mandan, the city neighboring Bismarck to the west across the Missouri River. Larsen chaired a Senate panel that handled industry and business legislation. He and his wife, Amy, were business owners.
Larsen served 29 years in the North Dakota Army National Guard. He mobilized twice, to Iraq from 2009-10 and to Washington, D.C., from 2013-14, according to Gov. Doug Burgum’s office. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Bronze Service Star and Army Aviator Badge among other honors.
Republican state Sen. Scott Meyer, who sat behind Larsen in the Senate, remembered him for his unique and dry sense of humor, candor on issues and passion for flying. He recalled a Saturday afternoon in the Senate chamber when Larsen talked with fellow senators for roughly an hour about flying planes and working on his private pilot’s license.
“He was passionate about flying. He really was,” Meyer said.
Maj. Gen. Alan Dohrmann, who is adjutant general of the North Dakota National Guard, said, “I cannot think of a more tragic loss for one family, and the North Dakota National Guard sends our condolences to all of (the Larsens’) friends and family. Doug was a true patriot who dedicated his life, both in and out of uniform, to serving others. I had the distinct pleasure to call him a Brother in Arms.”
Senate Democrat Leader Kathy Hogan said in a statement, “Doug was always respectful and kind, and his service as a lieutenant colonel in the North Dakota Army National Guard and in our legislature shows just how dedicated he was to our state and country.”
District Republicans will appoint a successor to fill out the remainder of Larsen’s term, through November 2024. His Senate seat is on the ballot next year. Republicans control North Dakota’s Legislature with supermajorities in the House and Senate.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.