Senate candidate dies in Iowa plane crash, hospital says

DUBUQUE, Iowa — A Libertarian Party of Iowa candidate running for a United States Senate seat has died in a plane crash, an official with Mercy Medical Center has confirmed.

Emergency room physician Doug Butzier died when the single-engine plane he was piloting crashed late Monday night near Dubuque Regional Airport. He served as president of the Mercy hospital's medical staff and as a member of the board of trustees.

"Dr. Butzier was one of the pillars of the emergency department for the past 17 years," said Russell Knight, Mercy President and CEO, in press release issued Tuesday. "His influence was felt throughout the hospital."

Iowa's Libertarian candidate for governor, Lee Hieb, said her fellow doctor epitomized what Iowans are all about.

"He could get dressed up in a suit and talk in front of a big crowd but at the end of the day he was just a man of the people," Hieb said. "Iowa and the cause of liberty are diminished by his passing."

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford says Butzier's Piper PA-46 crashed around 11 p.m. Monday on approach to the airport, about a mile north of the runway.

Lunsford says law enforcement told him the sole occupant of the aircraft was killed in the crash but he has no other information. The Dubuque Police Department declined to comment to The Associated Press early Tuesday.

Lunsford says the plane took off from Ankeny Regional Airport about an hour before the crash. He says the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.

Butzier's fellow U.S. Senate candidates from Iowa, Joni Ernst and Bruce Braley, issued statements after hearing of the crash.

Ernst said she was "deeply saddened to learn the tragic news about Dr. Doug Butzier. I appreciated Doug's willingness to contribute to this important election. In addition to representing Libertarians in this campaign, Doug served his community as an ER doctor and medical leader. Gail and I will keep Doug's family in our thoughts and prayers as they mourn their untimely loss."

Braley said he was "shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden and tragic death of Doug Butzier. I have enormous respect for anyone who puts their name forward as a candidate for public office. Carolyn and I send our thoughts and prayers to Dr. Butzier's wife and family during this difficult time."

A spokesman from the Iowa Secretary of State's Office confirmed on Tuesday that Butzier's name will not be removed from ballots, since voting has already begun.

Contributing: The Associated Press