In a tragic incident on Friday morning, a small plane crashed into Utah Lake, resulting in the deaths of two men. According to KUTV, the crash occurred shortly after 10 a.m. near the Provo Airport, leaving the aircraft submerged in about 10 feet of water.
The victims were identified by the Utah County Sheriff's Office as Michael Hyrum Cox, 43, of St. George, and Mark Andrew Johnson, 46, from Washington, Utah, as FOX13 reported. Witnesses at the scene, their bodies were extracted from the wreckage later that evening.
The plane involved in the accident, a single-engine Cirrus SR22, was cleared for landing before the pilot aborted the maneuver. Officials are investigating the reasons behind the abort and subsequent crash. Experts consulted by the investigators indicate that such a "go around" could be triggered by factors such as unsafe landing conditions or too much traffic on the runway, as obtained by KUTV.
KSL Newsradio added to the coverage of the incident, noting the difficulties the rescue teams faced due to the lake's muddy conditions. Sergeant Garrett Dutson said, as per KSL Newsradio, "With Utah Lake, you get all that mud and dirt, and you can't see very far. Even in this daylight, if you went in the water, you can't see your hand in front of you. " This visibility challenge was why a barge was brought in to attempt to lift the plane.
While the recovery efforts continued, Utah Lake State Park was closed, and investigators from various agencies, including the State Parks, Utah County Sheriff's Office, and Provo Fire Department, were involved in the inquiry, as indicated by KUTV. Both the cause of the crash and the final moments of the flight remain under investigation, with the main focus on safety concerns and the containment of possible debris and fuel leaks, as the recovery unfolded.
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