A small plane crash near Minneapolis kills North Dakota state legislator and the pilot

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A small plane crashed just after taking off from Crystal Airport north of Minneapolis on Saturday, killing a North Dakota state legislator and the pilot, authorities said.

North Dakota state Rep. Liz Conmy, of Fargo, was killed in the crash, her colleague, state Sen. Tim Mathern, told the Star Tribune.

The North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party, an affiliate of the national Democratic Party, confirmed Conmy’s death in a social media post, calling her a champion for public education, the environment, and transparency.

“We are completely heartbroken and gutted by the loss of Representative Liz Conmy. Her death is a profound loss for our state,” the party said in a post on X.

Officers responded to a report of a small airplane crash at 11:51 a.m. and found an aircraft that had crashed and caught fire in a park in the city of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, shortly after taking off, Brooklyn Park Police Inspector Matt Rabe said.

Rabe said the plane crashed shortly after taking off. He wouldn’t say how many people were on the plane. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that two people were aboard.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating a crash involving a Beech F33A airplane and expects investigators to arrive at the scene soon.