North Dakota lawmaker’s plane took off without runway lights before the crash that killed his family

BISMARCK, N.D. — A North Dakota state senator took off from a remote Utah airport last month with his wife and two young sons in the plane without the runway lights on a night with no moonlight and crashed just a minute later, killing everyone aboard, investigators said in a preliminary report released Thursday. Security video and a witness confirmed the runway lights that are controlled by the pilot remained dark when the plane took off on Oct. 1 from the airport outside Moab, but the report from the National Transportation Safety Board didn’t explain why the lights weren’t on. The fact that Larsen flew Black Hawk helicopters during his 29 years with the North Dakota Army National Guard suggests he was likely trained to fly with instruments, Wallace said, but flying helicopters is almost entirely done visually. Justin Gerhardt, a project manager with a construction company who served nine years with the North Dakota Army National Guard, will serve the remainder of Larsen’s term through November 2024.