A retired Mayo Clinic physician was the second victim of a Saturday airplane crash in Brooklyn Park that also killed a North Dakota lawmaker.
Dr. Joseph Cass retired from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in 2017, according to a Mayo Clinic Alumni Association article.
The crash killed North Dakota state Rep. Liz Conmy, a 67-year-old Democrat representing the Fargo area. The two were romantic partners, according to media reports.
Cass was believed to be piloting the small plane that crashed shortly after taking off from Crystal Airport on Saturday morning.
Cass first joined Mayo in 1983, following his orthopedic surgery residency there. He left in 1986 and spent nearly two decades practicing medicine in Sioux Falls, S.D., and the Twin Cities. Cass returned to Mayo in 2005.
When asked about his retirement, Cass said in the alumni article that “as long as I’m learning something, I’ll be content,” and expressed his desire to take flying lessons.
The plane crashed, causing a fiery explosion, shortly before noon in Southbrook Park near 62nd and Florida avenues, according to Brooklyn Park police. No one on the ground was injured.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.