Search for Plane Crash Victims Resumes at Utah Lake

Search for Plane Crash Victims Resumes at Utah Lake


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Shelley Osterloh and Jon Dunn ReportingThe search is back on today for the three Utah County men believed to have gone down with a plane that crashed into Utah Lake.

The three are believed dead after their plane crashed in to Utah Lake late Thursday night.

Dive crews from Utah, Wasatch and Summit counties and the state Department of Public Safety were searching Saturday.

Authorities were are also using two different kinds of sonar to try to locate the bodies. More debris from the crash washed toward shore overnight, but there was no sign of the men who were on board.

Believed to have died in the crash are 35-year old Harold "Les" McGuire of Alpine and Ray Hooper, also 35, of Mapleton, who are both executives in a company called Producers Revolution. They were headed home from St George where they presented a seminar Thursday night.

Search for Plane Crash Victims Resumes at Utah Lake

Also believed dead is 31-year old Blaine Pugmire of Springville, an experienced pilot.

Searchers were hampered by bad weather Thursday night, but were out early Friday morning searching Utah Lake for survivors. The pilot had reportedly radioed they were on approach to the Provo Airport about 11:30 Thursday night. It is an unmanned tower at that time and there was a lot of wind and rain about that time.

The pilot's wife, Nicole, was worried when they didn't arrive, and was able to track their flight over the Internet. She contacted authorities about 3:00 Friday morning.

Search for Plane Crash Victims Resumes at Utah Lake

All day long search teams pulled in debris as anxious family, friends and co-workers watched and waited. The pilot's uncle says he was always extremely careful and had flown commercially and privately.

Rex Pugmire, Blaine's Uncle: "An incredibly caring and loving husband and father. He was incredibly diligent in attending to everything related to flight. This was his passion, this was his love. Our condolences go out to the McGuire family. There were 13 children who lost fathers in this tragedy."

Mr. Pugmire said Blaine had talked to his wife before taking off and said he was told the storms we had last night would have moved on before they were scheduled to land. The airport is right next to Utah Lake, and they may have been flying low on approach when a wind hit them.

Search for Plane Crash Victims Resumes at Utah Lake

Debris from the single-engine turboprop was scattered on the water about two miles from the Provo harbor, where boats unloaded the wreckage piece-by-piece Friday afternoon.

Gilbert said seven boats were on the water Friday afternoon, searching a grid over about a mile and a half square of the lake.

Search and rescue crews will start again Saturday morning, looking for the three men.

The two executives work for a Utah County company that does business and educational seminars. Co-workers say the men are brilliant entrepreneurs, involved in a number of business ventures. McGuire was also on K -Talk radio.

Search for Plane Crash Victims Resumes at Utah Lake

All three of these men have families, 13 children in all. The wives of McGuire and Pugmire are also expecting.

The FAA is investigating.

(Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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