OAN’s Brooke Mallory
6:23 PM – Monday, October 2, 2023
The National Transportation Safety Board said on social media that it was looking into the single-engine Piper aircraft crash that took the lives of North Dakota state Senator Doug Larsen, his wife, and his two children.
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After a medical aircraft observed the wrecked plane, the sheriff’s deputies, Moab County Fire Department members, and paramedics rushed to the scene, according to the sheriff’s office.
Earlier, an NTSB spokesperson stated that a board investigator was anticipated to reach the scene on 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. Also, the investigator will request maintenance records of the aircraft, and medical records and flight history of the pilot.”
“Aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances after takeoff, Moab, UT,” online FAA information stated.
According to reports, the family was visiting family in Scottsdale, Arizona, and were on their flight back to North Dakota.
Larsen said on Facebook in December 2020 that his wife, Amy, had completed “her first flight as a pilot,” and the article featured an image of a tiny, orange aircraft. However, there was no mention of his wife flying the plane that went down.
In the same year, Larsen, a Republican, won his first election in the North Dakota Senate. His district includes Mandan, which is located across the Missouri River from Bismarck to the west.
Larsen presided over a Senate committee that dealt with business and industry issues, and in the North Dakota National Guard, he held the rank of lieutenant colonel.
According to his Senate Facebook page, Larsen describes himself as a “conservative, Republican outsider working for the Constituents of District 34.” The profile included an endearing photo of his family.
Republicans from the district will now choose a replacement to serve out Larsen’s term until November 2024.
Next year’s election will be for his Senate seat. Republican supermajorities in the House and Senate give them control of the North Dakota legislature.
“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… Hold your family close today,” said state senator majority leader David Hogue.
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