Small plane crashes in Utah Lake, two men dead, police say
Sep 27, 2024, 11:08 AM | Updated: Sep 30, 2024, 1:23 pm
PROVO — A small plane crashed into Utah Lake Friday morning, killing the two men inside.
Spencer Cannon with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said the single-engine plane went down just after 10 a.m., approximately half a mile northwest of the Provo airport. Cannon said the aircraft had been cleared to land there.
The sheriff’s office said that Michael Hyrum Cox, 44, from St. George, and Mark Andrew Johnson, 46, from Washington, Utah, were missing for several hours but were found dead inside the plane wreckage.
The office believes Cox was the plane’s pilot and Johnson was the passenger. Both bodies are being taken to the state medical examiner.
“In this case, anybody who saw the crash would think there is no way anybody could have survived that it was a significant crash that caused substantial damage to the plane,” Spencer said.
Officials were still uncertain why the aircraft went down. Other than the fact that the plane was cleared to land, any communication the pilot may have had with the airport tower before impact was unknown.
The sheriff’s office said witnesses were in boats on the water at the time of the crash, and investigators contacted them afterward. However, the sheriff’s office was unclear on who made the emergency call, whether it was a witness in a boat or possibly airport staff.
Just before 11 a.m., Chief Jess Campbell with Saratoga Springs Fire and Rescue said the plane was sitting in about eight feet of water, and crews were working in the wreckage.
Divers in the Utah Lake searching for the remains of the plane crash that happened Sept. 27, 2024. (Chopper 5)
Sgt. Garrett Dutson with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said rescue teams would attempt to pull the airplane up.
“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,” Dutson told KSL TV. “So that’s the issue they’re having, and so that’s why they brought the barge in to try and pull the airplane up.”
“The pilot or the occupants have been submerged for an extended amount of time. The likelihood of anybody being viable is diminishing,” Campbell said.
Utah Lake State Park was closed during the investigation, which the sheriff’s office said involved “quite a few investigators” with the sheriff’s office, Utah Highway Patrol, Saratoga Springs fire, a dive team, and Provo Search and Rescue.
The sheriff’s office said the main reason for the closure is mostly safety concerns.
“Debris will especially start floating, and I know they’re trying to secure that. There could be a fuel leak too, so that’s something they have to look at before rescuing individuals on board,” said Sgt. Garrett Dutson with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
This is a breaking news story. It may be updated as more information becomes available.
