US state lawmaker killed in plane crash (VIDEO)
A single-engine aircraft exploded soon after takeoff in Minnesota, killing Liz Conmy, a Democratic lawmaker from North Dakota
A small plane crash near Minneapolis, Minnesota killed North Dakota state lawmaker Liz Conmy, 67, and the pilot on Saturday, the Associated Press has reported, citing local authorities.
The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed that a Beechcraft BE33 crashed shortly after departing Crystal Airport on Saturday, with two people aboard.
“Liz served her state and community with care and compassion,” North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong said in a statement. We are “saddened by this tragic loss and offer our deepest condolences to her family, friends and fellow legislators,” he added.
Security camera footage circulated on social media purportedly shows the moment the plane crashed into a wooded area before blowing up into a blazing fireball, setting trees and grass alight.
Conmy’s North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party, an affiliate of the Democratic Party, said in a social media post that her death was “a profound loss to the state.”
The US National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the cause of the crash.