North Dakota lawmaker Liz Conmy killed in plane crash near Minneapolis

Liz Conmy, the Fargo Democrat who represented District 11 in the North Dakota House, died Saturday when a Beech F33A single-engine plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Crystal Airport north of Minneapolis. Brooklyn Park police said the crash was reported at 11:51 a.m. and the aircraft came down in Southbrook Park near 62nd Avenue North and Florida Avenue North before catching fire. Two people were aboard and both died. No one on the ground was injured and no ground property damage was reported.

Conmy’s death removes a legislator who had become deeply tied to education, natural resources and accountability fights in Bismarck. Her legislative biography says she served in the House since 2022, was vice chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sat on Education and Judiciary, and served on the state Human Trafficking Commission. The biography also lists her as retired from Minnesota State University, a farmer, a graduate of North Dakota State University and the University of St. Thomas, and active with Audubon Great Plains and CATCH. She had announced in January that she would seek a second term representing south Fargo.

The political loss is immediate in District 11 and across the House Democratic caucus. Gov. Kelly Armstrong said Conmy served with care and compassion on the Legislature and the Human Trafficking Commission, and praised her work on education, habitat and immigration. Lt. Gov. Michelle Strinden said she was heartbroken and remembered Conmy’s integrity, compassion and dedication to the Education and Judiciary committees. The North Dakota Democratic-NPL called her a champion for public education, the environment and transparency.

What happens next is a legislative vacancy, and North Dakota law routes that opening to a special election process rather than a governor’s appointment. State law says qualified electors in the district may petition for a special election to be called by the governor to fill the seat. Crystal Airport was briefly closed after the crash and later resumed normal operations at 2 p.m., while the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board investigate what caused the plane to go down so soon after takeoff. The other person on board has not been publicly identified, and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner is expected to release that name.