UTAH COUNTY, Utah, June 29, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — The wreckage of a small plane was located Friday morning at the south end of Lake Mountain, west of Utah Lake in Utah County.
The pilot, who was alone on the light, twin fixed-wing aircraft, was found deceased at the scene.
He has been identified as Tracy Paul Roesler, 48, of Nampa, Idaho.
Roesler had left Caldwell, Idaho, and was expected to refuel Thursday in Provo and to return to Caldwell around 5 or 6 p.m., the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said.
A co-worker became concerned when Roesler was not heard from. Since he was meticulous about checking in, he was reported missing when he didn’t return, and a search was begun.
“The company activated its emergency response plan, and contacted the Utah Department of Public Safety and the Civil Air Patrol, which began aerial searches,” Sgt. Spencer Cannon, UCSO, told Gephardt Daily.
Aerial searchers spotted the wreckage, fairly near the top of Lake Mountain, mid-morning Friday.
The difficult terrain made it impossible for deputies and investigators to drive to the scene, even with 4-wheel-drive vehicles.
The DPS helicopter and a single-engine Search and Rescue plane with tundra tires were able to land near the crash site, and officials reached the scene in the early afternoon.
Roesler’s body was taken to the Utah Medical Examiner’s Office in Taylorsville for an autopsy and to be positively identified.
Roesler was working on a commercial photography project at the time of the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the crash.
