A tragic incident involving a state senator from North Dakota, his wife, and their two young children unfolded when the small plane they were traveling in crashed shortly after a refueling stop in Utah, as reported by a Senate leader on Monday.

The passing of Doug Larsen was officially confirmed in an email sent by Republican Senate Majority Leader David Hogue to his fellow senators, and this information was obtained by The Associated Press.

According to a statement from the Grand County Sheriff’s Department, posted on Facebook, the plane met with the tragic accident on Sunday evening, just after departing from Canyonlands Airfield, located approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of the desert recreational town of Moab.

The sheriff’s office further specified that Senator Doug Larsen was the pilot of the aircraft, and regrettably, all four individuals on board the plane lost their lives in the crash.

“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.” 

Written by staff