Utah Lake plane crash victims recovered and identified

PROVO, Utah, September 28, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) – Two men who died when a small plane crashed into Utah Lake Friday morning have been identified as Washington County men.

“Late Friday evening, the bodies of the two occupants of the aircraft were recovered,” the Utah County Sheriff's Office said Friday evening.

“Michael Hyrum Cox, 43, of St. George, is believed to have been the pilot. Mark Andrew Johnson, 46, of Washington City, is believed to have been the passenger on the plane.”

Their bodies will be taken to the medical examiner's office where autopsies will be performed.

“At approximately 10:10 a.m. this morning, officers with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of an airplane that crashed into Utah Lake approximately half a mile northwest of the Provo Airport,” the sheriff’s office news release said , in which the events are described.

“Witnesses reported and surveillance video showed that the plane ultimately flew straight down at high speed and crashed into the lake. A nearby group arrived at the scene within a minute or two and found no one.”

The Utah County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue responded and initiated a search. Provo police and fire departments responded, as did the Saratoga Springs Fire Department with water rescue equipment. Utah State Parks responded with side-scan sonar. The Utah Department of Public Safety dive team also responded.

Also assisting in this recovery operation was Cross Marine Projects of American Fork with a recovery barge that was used to raise the fuselage of the aircraft to the surface to facilitate search and rescue operations to recover the bodies of the two victims.

“Weather conditions were favorable,” the release said, “but Utah Lake has water that is very difficult to see.”

While the location of the wreckage was never in question, recovering the aircraft was a challenge due to its condition. Search workers recovered many parts of the damaged aircraft, but the fuselage was underwater and parts of it were buried in the bottom of the lake. The lake at this point was about 9 feet deep.