GhLinks Media
Two people have been rescued after a small plane crashed into power lines in Maryland several hours ago.
The pilot, Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington, and the passenger, Jan Williams, 66, of Louisiana, were rescued after midnight, Chief Scott Goldstein of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service said at a news conference.
He said both men suffered “serious injuries” from the crash and that hypothermia was also an issue.
He added that they had been transported to a local trauma center and that fire crews would work to remove the plane and get the power lines reconnected.
The pilot and passenger had been flying to Montgomery County Airpark, an airport near Gaithersburg, Md., about 40 miles west of Baltimore, said Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the fire and rescue service.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane, a single-engine Mooney M20J, had departed from Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y., on Sunday.
It remained unclear what led to the crash, which happened in Montgomery Village, Md., around 5:40 p.m. and made for unusual photos by residents and officials on social media.
The images and videos showed the plane entangled in power lines and seemingly suspended in the air in a snarled mess of metal.
