North Dakota state Representative Liz Conmy, 67, was killed Friday morning when a small plane crashed and caught fire in a Minneapolis-area park — ending the lives of both people on board and leaving no one on the ground injured, with no property damaged. The aircraft, a 1991 Beechcraft F33A Bonanza registered as N8032X, went down in Southbrook Park in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, shortly after departing Crystal Airport (KMIC).
Piloting the plane was Dr. Joseph Cass, a retired orthopaedic surgeon from Mayo Clinic and Conmy’s partner. He also died in the crash. Conmy was a passenger.
The flight departed Runway 32 at approximately 11:51 a.m. CDT on April 25, 2026, bound for Park Rapids Municipal Airport (KPKD), 132 nautical miles to the north. The aircraft disappeared from radar almost immediately. Officers were dispatched shortly after and found it engulfed in flames in the park — roughly eight miles northwest of downtown Minneapolis. Local fire crews extinguished the blaze within minutes.
Jeff Lea, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, told reporters the plane “couldn’t get up in the air” during the northbound takeoff roll. A recording of air traffic control communications indicates the pilot made a garbled transmission shortly after takeoff and was cleared to land on any available runway. NTSB preliminary information shows the aircraft entered a left turn during the initial climb phase before going down.
“Unfortunately, everybody on the plane perished.” — Inspector Matt Rabe, Brooklyn Park Police Department
Witness Nevaeh Surla was in the park when it happened. “I just looked up, and I saw it going really fast,” she said. “It was going down — then I saw the big explosion.” Nearby resident Daren Wichman said he heard the engine cutting in and out before running to the scene to find the wreckage in flames.
The Aircraft — N8032X
N8032X is a 1991 Beech F33A Bonanza, serial number CE-1551, registered to Cass Joseph R of Nevis, Minnesota. The plane was 35 years old. It had logged 31 flights over the past 12 months with no prior accidents or incidents on record — powered by a Continental IO-520-BA flat-six producing 285 horsepower, with a published rate of climb of 1,167 fpm and a max takeoff weight of 3,400 lbs.
ADS-B records show the aircraft had flown the Crystal-to-Park-Rapids route multiple times before. It had departed Park Rapids the prior day and overnighted at Crystal.
The Bonanza holds a notable place in aviation history as the longest continuously produced aircraft ever built, with more than 18,000 rolling out since 1947. The F33A variant was manufactured from 1970 to 1995. In November 2025, Textron Aviation announced the Bonanza line would cease production once the remaining order backlog was fulfilled.
Who Was Liz Conmy
Conmy represented District 11 in the North Dakota House of Representatives, first elected in 2022. A Fargo resident and mother of four, she held a postgraduate degree from the University of St. Thomas, worked at Minnesota State University–Moorhead, and served on the state’s Human Trafficking Commission. Colleagues confirmed she was preparing to run for a second term.
“She lived life to its fullest, never shying from adventure or speaking her mind.” — House Minority Leader Zac Ista (D-Grand Forks)
“As a lawmaker, she championed public education, the environment and transparency.” — North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party
North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong ordered flags flown at half-staff from dawn to dusk on the day of Conmy’s interment and released a formal statement of condolence. The North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party confirmed her death via social media Friday evening.
A Grim Pattern for North Dakota Lawmakers
This is the second fatal aviation accident involving a sitting North Dakota legislator in under three years. On October 2, 2023, State Sen. Doug Larsen, his wife, and their two children were killed when their plane went down in Utah.
The historical record beyond North Dakota is equally stark. A 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza crash killed Oregon Governor Earl Snell, State Senate President Marshall Cornett, and Secretary of State Robert Farrell in a single accident. Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone died in a Beech King Air A100 crash near Eveleth, MN, in October 2002.
Investigation Status
FAA and NTSB investigators were on the ground in Brooklyn Park by April 26. The wreckage was removed Sunday, April 27 — though scorched earth and snapped trees remain at the crash site. Investigators will examine the wreckage, flight track data, maintenance records, and pilot history. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days; a final probable cause determination typically takes one to two years.
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