Two dead, including Fargo state representative, in small-engine plane crash near Crystal Airport
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Authorities are investigating a single-engine plane crash on Saturday outside Crystal Airport that left two dead, including a state representative from Fargo, N.D.
The Federal Aviation Administration said a Beechcraft BE33 crashed in a field in a residential area shortly after takeoff around noon. Two people on board died, according to Brooklyn Park police.
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong confirmed one of those people was North Dakota state Rep. Liz Conmy of Fargo. He ordered flags in the state to fly at half-staff.
“Liz served her state and community with care and compassion, from her service in the Legislature and on the state’s Human Trafficking Commission to her work on education, habitat and immigration,” Armstrong said.
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Authorities had not released the identity of the second person in the plane as of 9 p.m. Saturday.
Video from a man who lives across the street from the Southbrook Park crash site shows the plane hitting the ground before erupting into a ball of fire. Authorities arrived minutes later to extinguish the blaze.
Brooklyn Park police said in a statement nobody on the ground was injured.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
Southbrook Park was blocked off by first responders shortly after the crash. Several Brooklyn Park police officers were collecting statements.
Video from across the street, captured by a home security camera, shows the empty park as the sound of a plane’s engine fades.
Several seconds of silence follow before the sound of an engine rapidly returns. The Beechcraft crashes through the trees before hitting the ground as fire engulfs the park.
The video shows at least one fire engine was working to extinguish the fire within minutes as multiple police cruisers secured the area.
Area residents said the boom of the impact shook the neighborhood, drawing many concerned bystanders.
“We heard the bang and we thought it was from Bottineau Boulevard, because that's where all accidents happen,” said Aaron Clark, who lives across the street.
Ashley Kapp, who also lives across the street, heard the noise and came outside to see a plane engulfed in flames. Shortly after, she said there was a small explosion and flames spread around the park.
“I have four kiddos here, so they were all out here and asking ‘What happened? Do they have a parachute?’ All those kinds of things,” Kapp said. “So when they heard the fireman talk about somebody didn't, you know, make it out, that was kind of a conversation we had to have.”
