A small plane crashed in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, shortly after taking off from Crystal Airport north of Minneapolis on Saturday, killing North Dakota state Rep. Liz Conmy and the pilot, authorities said. Police said the aircraft crashed and caught fire in a park in Brooklyn Park shortly after takeoff, and federal agencies were called in to investigate the circumstances.
Brooklyn Park Police Inspector Matt Rabe said officers responded to a report of a small airplane crash at 11:51 a.m. and located a plane that had come down and was burning in a park area, according to the Associated Press. Rabe said the plane crashed shortly after taking off, but he would not say how many people were aboard.
The Associated Press reported that North Dakota state Sen. Tim Mathern, Conmy’s colleague, told the Star Tribune that Conmy died in the crash. 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.
In an X post, the party said: “We are completely heartbroken and gutted by the loss of Representative Liz Conmy. Her death is a profound loss for our state.” The Associated Press included that statement as part of its description of how Conmy’s death was communicated publicly after the crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that two people were aboard the aircraft. The Associated Press also reported that the National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating a crash involving a Beech F33A and expected investigators to arrive at the scene soon.
As investigators work to determine what caused the crash, officials have not said what led to the aircraft coming down shortly after takeoff from Crystal Airport.