A North Dakota lawmaker who had flown to Arizona to be part of his sister's sendoff before she deployed overseas gave the woman a hug and told her to 'stay safe
by JACK DURA & TRISHA AHMED, Associated PressThis photo provided by Samantha Rose Photography LLC shows North Dakota Sen. Doug Larsen, second from left, with his wife, Amy, and their two sons, Christian and Everett, on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2023, at Papago Park in Phoenix, Ariz. All four of them died the following day, Sunday, Sept. 30, in a plane crash near Moab, Utah.
Larsen had been a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in the North Dakota National Guard, and Steimel tearfully recalled their final conversation and the advice her older brother gave her.Larsen, his wife, Amy, and the two boys died later Sunday when his plane crashed shortly after takeoff from a refueling stop at Canyonlands Airfield near the desert recreation town of Moab, Utah. The senator was piloting the plane, according to the Grand County Sheriff's Office.
"For the three hours that we were on the plane, that's all he talked about," Faller said. "He told me all the things about the plane: exactly how this works, where we were at. He had a passion for that." Steimel said that during the extended family's weekend together, they did a family photo shoot, ate pizza from a local restaurant, swam in the pool in her backyard, listened to music by Jimmy Buffet, and played baseball together.
Larsen flew Black Hawk helicopters as part of his 29 years of service with the North Dakota Army National Guard, according to Republican state Sens. Jim Roers, a longtime licensed pilot, and Mike Wobbema, a retired military aviator.Roers said he and Larsen connected over their mutual love of aviation, and earlier this year talked about Larsen becoming a commercial pilot.
Thomas and Conley both entered the Legislature in 2020 with Larsen, a fellow Republican, and recounted their early days at the Capitol with him."Sen. Larsen was what we all here aspired to be as servants to our members and our district as well as our friends and family," Thomas said.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
North Dakota state senator, his wife and 2 kids killed in Utah plane crashA North Dakota Senate leader says a state senator, his wife and their two young children died when the small plane they were riding crashed in Utah
Read more »
North Dakota state senator, his wife and 2 kids killed in Utah plane crashA North Dakota Senate leader says a state senator, his wife and their two young children died when the small plane they were traveling in crashed in Utah.
Read more »
North Dakota state senator, wife and 2 kids killed in Utah plane crashNorth Dakota state Sen. Doug Larsen his wife and their two young children died when the small plane they were traveling in crashed in Utah, a Senate leader said Monday.
Read more »
North Dakota state senator Doug Larsen, his wife and 2 children killed in Utah plane crashDoug Larsen, a Republican first elected to the North Dakota Senate in 2020, was also a lieutenant colonel in the North Dakota National Guard.
Read more »
North Dakota state senator and his family die in Utah plane crashThe small plane crashed Sunday evening after taking off from Canyonlands Airfield about 15 miles north of Moab, according to the Grand County Sheriff’s Department.
Read more »
North Dakota state senator, his wife and 2 kids killed in Utah plane crashA North Dakota Senate leader says a state senator, his wife and their two young children died when the small plane they were traveling in crashed in Utah.
Read more »