North Dakota state Sen. Doug Larsen was piloting the single-engine plane that crashed Sunday night, killing him, his wife and two sons.
Authorities in Moab, Utah, said Larsen, 47, was in the cockpit when the plane crashed just outside Canyonlands Regional Airport, killing the family of four instantly.
The Grand County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Monday the politician’s role in the crash, which occurred immediately after takeoff from Canyonlands Regional Airport.
It is believed the four were returning from visiting family in Scottsdale, Arizona, and stopped at the airport in Moab, Utah, to refuel for their flight home.
According to the local sheriff’s office, first responders were dispatched to the scene shortly before 8:30 p.m. and discovered that all four passengers on the plane had died.
The cause of the crash is unknown as officials continue to investigate.
North Dakota state Senator Doug Larsen (pictured) piloted the single-engine plane that crashed Sunday evening, killing him, his wife and two sons
Larsen, 47, was in the cockpit when the plane crashed just outside Canyonlands Regional Airport, killing the family of four instantly (pictured).
An airplane pictured on Doug Larsen’s Facebook page. It is unclear if this is the plane that crashed
Public records show Larsen was registered in June to fly a Piper Cherokee PA-28-140, a single-engine aircraft. It is unclear if this is the plane that crashed.
News of the deaths first broke early Monday when Republican Sen. David Hogue wrote an email to his colleagues.
“Senator Doug Larsen, his wife Amy and their two young children were killed in a plane crash in Utah last night,” Hogue wrote.
“I’m not sure where bereavement begins in a tragedy like this, but I think it begins with prayers for the grandparents, Senator Larsen’s surviving stepchild, and Doug and Amy’s extended family,” he wrote in the email .
“Keep your family close today,” the Republican continued.
Larsen had a third stepchild who was not on the plane Sunday.
The Republican was first elected to the North Dakota Senate in 2020.
Larsen previously served in the North Dakota Army National Guard for nearly three decades, according to a statement from Gov. Doug Burgum.
His district includes Mandan, a city that flanks Bismarck on the other side of the Mississippi. He chaired a panel in the state Senate that addressed industrial and business legislation.
In addition to his political position, Larsen and his wife were majority owners of a local hotel. He was also a lieutenant colonel in the North Dakota National Guard.
Doug and Amy Larsen and their two young children in a social media photo
Canyonlands Regional Airport outside Moab, Utah, where the crash occurred
The couple’s two small children were also killed. The family was reportedly returning to North Dakota from visiting family in Arizona
Officials with the Grand County Sheriff’s Office said they received a report that the plane crashed Sunday around 8:30 p.m.
An Air Medical helicopter located the crashed aircraft while crews from the sheriff’s office, Moab Fire Department and emergency responders responded to the crash site.
In a brief statement released just after midnight Monday, the sheriff’s office said, “Rescue efforts have been completed.” Unfortunately, four occupants did not survive the accident. Further information will be provided once family members have been notified.
Initially, the office said it dispatched emergency responders after receiving a call for a witness who saw “a plane hit the ground shortly after takeoff from Canyonlands Airfield, north of Moab.”
The National Transportation Safety Board said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that the single-engine Piper crash was under investigation.
The family flew out of Canyonlands Regional Airport
State Senator Doug Larsen and his wife Amy were two of the people killed when their small plane crashed in Utah on Sunday
The plane crashed about 15 miles outside of Moab, Utah – a tourist town of about 5,300 people near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.
In his statement, Burgum praised Larsen for his years of service and expressed his condolences to family members.
“First Lady Kathryn, Lieutenant Governor Miller and I are deeply saddened by the heartbreaking loss of Senator Doug Larsen, his wife Amy and their two young sons,” Burgum said.
“As a legislator, he was a tenacious defender of individual rights and freedoms, which he defended through his military service,” he said.