Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 5
Distraction; Situational Awareness; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Executed Go Around / Missed Approach; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Human Factors; Weather; Airspace Structure
Aircraft X was an arrival into PVU airport. He came to my sector from the northwest.  I had to vector the aircraft to get him in trail of SLC arrivals. I turned the aircraft in trail of a SLC B752.  As I turned the aircraft further north so final turn wasn't so tight; the pilot called the airport in sight. PVU was advertising Visual Approach Runway 13. I cleared the aircraft for the Visual Approach. They turned towards the airport; I shipped them to the Tower approximately 10 miles out when I saw them turning towards the airport. Almost immediately the aircraft started turning further south towards a 8;900 foot Minimum Vectoring Altitude descending out of 8000 feet. I called PVU and they said they were talking to him. I asked what they were doing and was advised the pilot stated they were making S turns or something. The aircraft descended to 5;100 feet 7 miles from the airport; elevation 4;497 feet.  At that point PVU called stating the pilot had lost the airport and was climbing to 9;000 feet. The pilot checked in with me heading 180 and climbing to 9;000 feet. I said roger. They then asked for vectors to an ILS and I stated I would when they were at Minimum Vectoring Altitudes. I vectored for the ILS with no further complications. I don't really have recommendations on my end. PVU after this incident continued to advertise Visual Approaches. My Supervisor did not want to fill out any paperwork on the incident; so they said nobody did anything wrong and to leave it at that. I felt like this should be reported somehow. The pilot was extremely low a long distance from the airport trying to scud run the Visual Approach. I knew visuals were iffy because when I descended the aircraft to 9;000 feet they were IMC; I turned them and descended them to 8;000 feet (also telling them to expect the ILS) and they called the airport. It's not surprising they were able to call the airport in sight at that point; the mountain sits below and often they can descend slightly and get the airport in sight. What's surprising is the pilot accepted the approach if clouds were that bad; that we didn't 'declare an emergency' for the aircraft when they lost the airport at 5;100 feet in an 8;900 foot Minimum Vectoring Altitude MVA; and that the supervisor wouldn't at least want to follow up with the pilot. I truly don't know why we wouldn't want to look at this further.
A TRACON Controller reported an aircraft cleared for a Visual Approach turned away from the airport due to losing sight of the airport and flew below the Minimum Vectoring Altitude.