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SARATOGA SPRINGS — A pilot walked away from his plane with only minor injuries after landing upside down in shallow Utah Lake waters on Saturday.
The situation could have been worse, Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Cannon said.
“As crashes go, I think he’s fortunate in regards to what the circumstances are,” Cannon said.
The plane went down about 20 feet off shore, at about 12:45 p.m., near the Pelican Point area south of Saratoga Springs, on the west side of Utah Lake, Cannon said.
Creighton King, who belongs to an aviation group called the Flying Cowboys, told KSL he was trying land the plane on the shoreline when a gust of wind came up and pushed the plane.
“The wind came from the south, just kind of blew me in and once I caught in that water, the wind just caught my tail and, unfortunately, I went over in about 12 inches of water,” King said. “I pulled the power, put my hands up. My buddy’s on the radio right away (asking), ‘You OK?’ (I said,) ‘Yeah, I’m good,' shut everything off and hopped out.
King, who was the only person in the plane, walked to shore, he said. He was treated for minor injuries at the scene, Cannon said, but was not taken to a hospital.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the crash, Cannon said.
