North Dakota lawmaker Liz Conmy killed in Minnesota plane crash

A Beech F33A crashed into Southbrook Park in Brooklyn Park minutes after leaving Crystal Airport, killing North Dakota Rep. Liz Conmy and pilot Joe Cass and bringing federal investigators to a park a few blocks from 62nd Avenue North and Florida Avenue North.

Brooklyn Park police said the crash report came in at 11:51 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, 2026. Authorities said there were no survivors and no injuries on the ground, even as the aircraft came down in a residential area and caught fire. The Federal Aviation Administration said two people were aboard, and the National Transportation Safety Board opened an investigation and sent investigators to the site.

Conmy, a Fargo Democrat, represented District 11 in the North Dakota House of Representatives and had served since 2022. She sat on the House Education and Judiciary committees and was vice chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, roles that put her at the center of the state’s debates over schools, courts and energy policy. Her death leaves a vacancy in the North Dakota House while lawmakers are already in session.

North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong mourned Conmy’s death and said flags would fly at half-staff on the day of her interment. The North Dakota Democratic-NPL described her as a champion for public education, the environment and transparency. State Sen. Tim Mathern said Conmy was his running mate and friend, underscoring the political shock that followed the crash.

The loss carries weight far beyond Fargo and Bismarck. A sitting lawmaker was killed in a crash that happened just after takeoff from a metro airport, in a park surrounded by homes and close to one of the Twin Cities’ busiest suburban corridors. For northern Minnesota readers, it is another reminder that a small-aircraft emergency in the metro can quickly turn into a statewide issue, touching politics, aviation safety and the public’s confidence in how those systems hold up when a routine flight goes wrong.

Investigators have not yet said what caused the crash. With the NTSB on scene and witnesses asked to come forward with video, the next phase will focus on how a flight from Crystal Airport ended in a fatal wreck at Southbrook Park, and what that means for the safety of small aircraft across Minnesota and the region.