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Pilot escapes serious injury when plane flips upside-down in Utah Lake

(Photo courtesy Utah County Sheriff's Office) While attempting to land on the Utah Lake shoreline, a wind gust pushed the plane, causing a wheel to touch the water. The pilot, who suffered only minor injuries, could not recover and the plane flipped.

(Photo courtesy Utah County Sheriff's Office) While attempting to land on the Utah Lake shoreline, a wind gust pushed the plane, causing a wheel to touch the water. The pilot, who suffered only minor injuries, could not recover and the plane flipped.

Saratoga Springs • Utah County authorities say the pilot escaped serious injury when a small plane crashed and flipped while attempting to land on an exposed part of the bed of Utah Lake.

The Sheriff’s Office says the pilot was able to walk away from his plane after it ended up upside-down in about a foot of water about 20 feet from shore.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Joe Cannon says the pilot reported that a wind gust caused one of the plane’s wheels to touch water before it flipped. The crash occurred at Pelican Point near Saratoga Springs on the lake’s northwestern shore Saturday. The pilot was the only person on the plane.

The Sheriff’s Office said the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

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