Maryland plane crash: Pilot and passenger trapped for seven hours rescued after aircraft becomes tangled in power lines 100ft above ground | US News
Two people, trapped for nearly seven hours at 30 meters after their plane crashed into power lines, were rescued.
The incident happened around 5:40 p.m. Sunday near Montgomery County Airport in Gaithersburg, maryland – leaving about 120,000 residents without electricity.
Rescuers attempted to “electrically land” the plane around 11:30 p.m., Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said.
They then secured the plane to pylons before the two men were safely brought down at 12:36 a.m. Monday.
The fire chief said both men suffered “serious injuries” from the collision and hypothermia was also an issue.
First responders work to rescue plane passengers. Photo: AP
The men have been named by Maryland State Police as pilot Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington DC, and passenger Jan Williams, 66, of Louisiana.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the cause of the crash was still unclear and a coordinated investigation with the National Transportation Safety Board was underway.
Utilities company Pepco said about 120,000 customers lost power shortly after the crash, but by the time the men were rescued, most of their power had been restored.
Mr. Goldstein said the next step is to remove the plane before power lines can be re-wired and reconnected.
