Maryland plane crash: NTSB, FAA to probe collision into power lines - The Washington Post

The single-engine Mooney M20J crashed into wires adjacent Montgomery County Airpark successful Gaithersburg astir 5:40 p.m. Sunday, the FAA said. Two radical onboard were pulled from the level and onto ample buckets attached to towering cranes soon aft midnight Monday.

Montgomery County occurrence officials said some suffered orthopedic injuries, trauma and had “hypothermia issues.” Maryland State Police identified the aviator arsenic Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington and his rider arsenic Janet Williams, 66, of Louisiana.

The aircraft, which began work successful 1977, had departed from Westchester County Airport successful White Plains, N.Y., according to the FAA.

Flight-tracking information shows the level had made a travel from Gaithersburg to White Plains connected Sunday morning. It past began the instrumentality travel successful the afternoon, according to information from tracking work Flightradar24. The level is registered to MFC Corp. successful downtown Washington, with Patrick Merkle listed arsenic president, according to FAA records.

Weather successful Washington astatine the clip was misty and rainy, though it wasn’t wide Monday if upwind was a origin successful the crash. Federal officials said investigators with the NTSB volition pb the investigation.

The clang occurred astatine a Pepco transmission enactment adjacent Rothbury Drive and Goshen Road successful the Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village area. The level became entangled successful high-voltage powerfulness lines northbound of Montgomery Village successful Gaithersburg.

The level appeared to beryllium suspended oregon entangled successful oregon adjacent cabling and the latticework of a operation that supports the transmission lines. On Monday, Pepco officials said crews continued to measure harm to powerfulness instrumentality and the tower, and would marque immoderate indispensable repairs.

Power was restored astatine 1:34 a.m. Monday, and the level was removed astir 3 a.m. Williams was pulled from the level astatine 12:25 a.m. Residents who spent hours watching the incidental clapped arsenic she was lowered successful a bucket. The aviator came down astir 11 minutes later.

Before the rescue, Montgomery County Public Schools canceled Monday classes, arsenic did Montgomery College. The clang besides disrupted operations connected Metro’s Red Line and astatine slightest 2 hospitals, officials said.

This clang was the latest to rattle the Gaithersburg community. Since 1983, determination person been astatine slightest 30 airplane crashes astatine oregon adjacent the airpark, which opened successful 1959.

Six radical were killed erstwhile a twin-­engine jet, connected its last attack to the airport, crashed into a location successful December 2014. That incidental raised alarm among residents, who demanded information changes for those traveling to the airpark, which was intended to relieve aviation congestion astatine Reagan National Airport.

Jeff Guzzetti, a erstwhile FAA and NTSB researcher who isn’t connected to the existent probe, said mediocre visibility caused by atrocious upwind could beryllium a apt cause, though helium said mechanical problems can’t beryllium ruled out.

“From my experience, it’s usually precisely what it looks like, which is an airplane encountering mediocre visibility and debased ceilings arsenic it’s descending adjacent an airdrome and it got a small spot excessively adjacent to the ground,” Guzzetti said.

He said the NTSB volition analyse what upwind accusation and forecast Merkle had disposable earlier departing and whether helium received updated accusation during his flight.

“They’re fortunate to beryllium alive,” Guzzetti said.

Dana Hedgpeth, Martin Weil and Dan Morse contributed to this report.