NTSB releases preliminary report on plane crash that killed North Dakota state senator, family

BISMARCK, N.D. — The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report Thursday on the plane crash that killed North Dakota Senator Doug Larsen and his family on Oct. 1.

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Larsen took off from a remote airport outside of Moab, Utah without the runway lights. The plane crashed about a minute later, the report said, according to The Associated Press. Everyone on board was killed including Amy Larsen and their two sons, 11-year-old Christian and 8-year-old Everett. The family was in Utah for less than three hours as they headed back home from a family event in Arizona.

Security video as well as information from a witness confirmed that the runway lights controlled by the pilot had remained off when the plane took off, according to the AP. The NTSB report did not explain why they weren’t on.

A witness said, according to KFYR, that it appeared that the plane seemed to be losing altitude before it flew off.

According to the report, the witness heard two impacts shortly after, according to the news station.

Investigators also did not find any mechanical issues during their inspection of the wreckage, KTVX reported.

According to the AP, it is not clear what caused the crash but there could be an answer when the NTSB submits their final report in over a year from now.