Small plane crashes into power lines in Maryland, leaving 2 dangling and thousands without power - CBS News

1 year ago 47

A tiny level crashed into power lines in Maryland, leaving 2 radical dangling astir 100 feet successful the air, officials said. The clang knocked retired powerfulness to thousands of radical successful the area.

A single-engine Mooney M20J crashed into wires adjacent Montgomery County Airpark successful Gaithersburg, Maryland, astir 5:40 p.m. section clip Sunday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The level appeared to beryllium intact arsenic it was caught successful a web of powerfulness lines astir 100 feet successful the air.

Maryland State Police identified the occupants of the level arsenic aviator Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington, D.C., and rider Jan Williams, 66, of Louisiana.

As of astir 7:50 p.m., Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Pete Piringer said the radical aboard the level were uninured. Earlier helium said that they remained successful a "very precarious situation," arsenic the wires were inactive energized. Utility institution Pepco said that arsenic of astir 8:30 p.m. the lines had been deenergized.

Update - Gaithersburg, Maryland, @MontgomeryCoMD tiny level into powerlines & operation plow, suspended astir 100 feet successful the air, 2 persons connected committee uninjured astatine this time, @mcfrs connected scene, Widespread powerfulness outages, immoderate roads closed successful area, https://t.co/VRLGfpyFaA pic.twitter.com/3iCMW0v94j

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) November 27, 2022

The clang led to "widespread powerfulness outages" and roadworthy closures nearby, officials said.

Pepco confirmed that the clang affected astir 85,000 customers and said they are moving with authorities to measure the damage.

"We person confirmed that a backstage level came into interaction with Pepco's transmission lines successful Montgomery County, resulting successful an outage to astir 85,000 customers," the inferior institution tweeted. "We are assessing harm and moving intimately with Montgomery County occurrence and exigency services."

The clang volition beryllium investigated by the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board, with the NTSB starring the probe and providing further updates, the FAA said successful a statement.