Plane crashes into Utah Lake; 2 occupants ‘submerged for an extended amount of time’

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A small plane crashed into Utah Lake on Friday, resulting in two occupants being “submerged for an extended amount of time,” according to emergency responders.

“We’ve got crews of personnel out on the lake. They’re just confirming some things. The plane’s in about 8½ feet of water. … The likelihood of anybody still being viable is diminishing,” Saratoga Springs Fire Chief Jess Campbell said.

Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Cannon said there were “believed” to be two occupants in the plane.

“I say we believe that because we have not recovered the plan yet, but based on the information we do have, we believe there were two occupants of the plane,” Cannon said.

Cannon said the crash was “significant” and debris from the plane has been recovered.

“It would be very unlikely that anybody could survive this crash. But, again, we can’t say with 100% certainty, simply because we have not recovered the plane and the occupants of the plane yet,” Cannon said.

He said the plane had been cleared to land at the Provo Airport before crashing in the lake.

The National Transportation Safety Board on Friday said on X that it is investigating the crash of a Cirrus SR22 plane, a single-engine composite aircraft with four- or five-seat configurations.

Utah Lake State Park is closed to the public “probably at least for the rest of the afternoon, maybe a little longer,” Cannon said, adding that a substantial search operation remains underway.