UTAH COUNTY, Utah — The plane that crashed into Utah Lake last month, killing two people, came within 200 feet of another aircraft before turning away, a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board details.
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Michael Hyrum Cox of St. George and passenger Mark Andrew Johnson of Washington were both killed when their single-engine plane, a Cirrus SR22, crashed into the lake on Sept. 27.
According to the newly released NTSB report, the plane piloted by Cox was on approach to land at the Provo Airport when he was advised that another plane was still on the runway.
"The [air traffic] controller asked the pilot if he was able to turn right to the downwind leg, to which the pilot replied he was able to do so," the report states.
Airport surveillance video showed the first airplane performing a touch-and-go maneuver before Cox's plane came into view. The Cirrus SR22 came within 200 feet of the first aircraft before veering to the right and going out of view of the video.
According to the report, a witness in another airplane saw Cox's plane "bank sharply then stall" before it "fell into a rapid descent with 3 rotations," which is consistent with a spin when an airplane stalls and the pilot is unable to maintain coordination in the recovery.
The plane eventually crashed into nearly 9 feet of water about two miles northwest of the runway.
Due to the murky conditions of the deep water, crews initially had difficulty in recovering the bodies of both Cox and Johnson, as well as the plane.
