Before a North Dakota lawmaker was killed in Utah plane crash, he told his sister: ‘Stay safe’

By JACK DURA and TRISHA AHMED
Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota lawmaker who had recently received his commercial pilot’s license was flying his own plane home from a family celebration in Arizona when it crashed in Utah, killing him, his wife and their two young sons. Family members say state Sen. Doug Larsen had flown his single-engine Piper Cherokee to visit his sister in Scottsdale, Arizona, so they could be part of her sendoff before she deployed overseas with the Arizona National Guard. Larsen had been a Blackhawk helicopter pilot in the North Dakota National Guard — and hours before the crash he told his sister to “Stay safe.” Larsen, his wife, Amy, and the two boys died Sunday when his plane crashed after a refueling stop near Moab, Utah.