PICTURED: Utah pilot and father-of-six killed in horror plane crash in lake after becoming trapped underwater
The bodies of two men were pulled from a Utah lake Friday morning after a fatal plane wreck trapped them underwater.
The victims were identified as pilot Michael Hyrum Cox, 43, of St. George, Utah and father of six passenger Mark Andrew Johnson, 46, of Washington, Utah.
The Cirrus SR22, coming from St. George Airport, was cleared to land at Provo Airport when it crashed into the water around 10 a.m.
Around 3 p.m., Sergeant Garrett Duston confirmed that two passengers were on board the aircraft CUTV.
Mark Andrew Johnson, 46, died in a fatal plane crash Friday morning
Michael Hyrum Cox (far right), 43, pictured with his family before he died in a plane crash
The Cirrus SR22 crashed around 10 a.m. (stock image)
But the bodies of Cox and Johnson were not found until around 8:30 p.m., Sergeant Spencer Cannon of the Utah County Sheriff’s Department told DailyMail.com.
Kanon said KSLTV: ‘In this case, anyone who saw the crash would think that there was no way anyone could have survived, that it was a significant crash that caused significant damage to the aircraft.’
It was difficult to uncover their bodies because the lake is about three meters deep and they were stuck at the bottom.
Airport officials told KUTV that Cox made a “go around” just before they were supposed to land. The reason why he did this is unclear.
There is a ‘go around’ if there is reason to assume that an aircraft cannot land at that moment. Pilots can make this choice themselves or receive instructions.
But the move can be risky as the plane’s speed may be too slow, causing it to stall.
Investigators searched Utah Lake State Park for their captured bodies
The Utah County Sheriff’s Department, the Provo Fire and Police Departments and the Utah Highway Patrol Dive Team led the discovery efforts
Investigation and discovery efforts were conducted by the Utah County Sheriff’s Department, Provo Fire and Police Departments and the Utah Highway Patrol Dive Team.
The crash was called by witnesses near the scene and Utah Lake State Park was closed while the search was underway.
Cannon told DailyMail.com on Saturday that the plane’s engine was embedded about three feet into the ground beneath the lake and that the department is still working to retrieve it.