What to Know
- Two people were rescued after they were left stranded in the crumpled aircraft 100 feet from the ground. They were taken to trauma centers with serious injuries, the fire department said.
- Around 85,000 people were without power in Montgomery County for around six hours, according to Pepco. Around 125 traffic signals were not working, and drivers were advised to treat them as all-way stops.
- Montgomery County Public Schools and Montgomery College campuses will be closed Monday due to the power outage.
A small plane with two people aboard slammed into a power transmission tower in Montgomery County, Maryland, on Sunday evening, authorities said. Two people were left stranded in the crumpled aircraft 100 feet from the ground and the crash left large swaths of the county without power.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Chief Scott Goldstein said at 1 a.m. Monday that the pilot and passenger were successfully rescued and taken to local trauma centers with serious injuries related to hypothermia, orthopedics and trauma issues.
The pilot has been identified as Patrick Merkle, 66, of D.C and the passenger as Janet Williams, 66, of Marrero, Louisiana.
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The single-engine Mooney M20J plane crashed into PEPCO electricity transmission wires near Goshen Road and Rothbury Drive in Gaithersburg around 5:40 p.m., the FAA and Montgomery County authorities said.
Authorities initially said the people inside were not hurt, but were stuck in the plane that is wedged into the transmission tower.
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In an update Sunday night, Goldstein explained what the rescue would entail.
"There is no other way to determine if it's safe to access the tower until it is grounded, or bonded," Goldstein said. "Crews have to go up to the wires themselves to put clamps or cables onto the wire to then ensure that there's no static electricity, no residual power... as well as the vibration of the airplane, securing the airplane to the tower structure."
At around 11:30 p.m., crews were successful in grounding the power lines. Forty-five minutes later, the plane was stabilized and completely secured to the tower. By 12:36 a.m., both the pilot and passenger had been brought down from the aircraft, Goldstein said.
During operations, authorities said they were in communication with the two people on board, but were trying to conserve the battery on the cellphones they were using. They were checking in with them regularly.
The fire department urged the community to stay away because the area was very dangerous.
Crews used a crane to remove the plane from the tower and lowered it to the ground at about 3 a.m. Monday. The plane remains on the ground around the transmission tower.
The collision damaged a transmission system, leaving approximately 85,000 customers without electricity for about six hours, PEPCO said. Transition systems move bulk power to distribution substations, which then deliver power to customers.
Power was restored to all customers by Monday morning.
The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) said about 125 traffic signal lights were without power as of 11:15 p.m., and reminded drivers to treat the non-functioning signals as an all-way stop.
Montgomery County Public Schools said its schools and offices would be closed due to the outage. Montgomery College also closed all of its campuses and locations.
Metro's Red Line from Shady Grove to Grosvenor-Strathmore and Glenmont to Silver Spring would also be affected and delays were to be expected, WMATA said. Shuttle buses are available at Wheaton.
The FAA said the plane departed the Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York. The intended destination was Montgomery Airpark, the fire department said.
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
