Pilot and passenger who were left precariously dangling 100ft high in their single-engine plane for almost seven hours after crashing into a pylon are rescued alive

• Two occupants suffered ‘serious injuries’ after the small plane crashed Sunday
• The occupants were identified by Maryland State Police as pilot Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington, D.C., and passenger Jan Williams, 66, of Louisiana
• The FAA said the single-engine plane had departed White Plains, New York, and then crashed into the power lines in Gaithersburg, Maryland around 5:40 p.m.
• Video and photos show the plane dangling 100 feet in the air from the tower 
• Utility company Pepco reported that 85K-90K customers were without power

A pilot and passenger who were left dangling 100ft off the ground in a single-engine plane for almost seven hours have been miraculously rescued alive – but with serious injuries and hypothermia.

The plane crashed into a pylon at around 5.40 p.m. on Sunday evening in Maryland – causing widespread power cuts in the surrounding county – before its occupants were rescued several hours later.

Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said the plane was secured to the tower at 12:16 a.m. and the first occupant was removed from the plane at 12:25 a.m. The second occupant was out at 12:36 a.m. 

Maryland State Police identified the pilot as Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington, D.C., and the passenger Jan Williams, 66, of Louisiana.

Two people were extricated from a small plane early Monday in Maryland, several hours after they crashed into power lines, causing widespread outages in the surrounding county

He said both men suffered ‘serious injuries’ from the crash and that hypothermia was also an issue. Both men were transported to local trauma centers with non-life threatening injuries, Goldstein said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement that the single-engine plane, which had departed White Plains, N.Y., crashed into the power lines near Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg around 5:40 p.m. Sunday.

Harrowing video captured the scene in Gaithersburg earlier Sunday evening where the plane could be seen dangling 100 feet in the air from a power tower as crews work to rescue the occupants.

Goldstein gave a detailed account of what would happen in order to rescue the occupants. He said that utility contractors would first work to ground the high-tension wires to make it safe for rescuers to work. Fire crews then used bucket trucks or a crane to make the plane stable by chaining it or strapping it to the tower.

After the plane is more stable, Goldstein said, rescuers will use the crane or bucket trucks to bring the two people down. He said rescuers are periodically contacting them by cellphone to check on them.

Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said the plane was secured to the tower at 12:16 a.m. and the first occupant was removed from the plane at 12:25 a.m. The second occupant was out at 12:36 a.m. 

Maryland State Police identified the pilot as Patrick Merkle (pictured), 65, of Washington, D.C., and the passenger passenger Jan Williams, 66, of Louisiana

A crowd gathered to watch the dramatic rescue after the small plane crashed on Sunday

Officials responded to the scene of the crash in the area of Rothbury Drive and Goshen Road in Montgomery County near Gaithersburg, a small city about 24 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. 

The FAA said the single-engine Mooney M20J departed from Westchester County Airport in White Plains. The cause of the crash wasn’t immediately clear. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate what happened. 

The small plane remained stuck about 100 feet above the ground late into Sunday evening, and the transmission lines remained live, complicating rescue efforts, Pete Piringer, chief spokesperson for the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service, told local news outlets.

The utility company Pepco reported that about 85,000-90,000 customers were without power in Montgomery County. Pepco said the plane came into contact with the company’s aerial transmission lines.   

People watch as the small plane rested on live power lines after crashing

Crews conducted a high-angle rescue for a pilot and passenger who became trapped when a small plane crashed into live power lines in Gaithersburg, Maryland Sunday evening

Harrowing photos and video captured the scene in Gaithersburg where the plane could be seen dangling 100 feet in the air from a power tower

The plane remained stuck about 100 feet above the ground, and the transmission lines remained live, complicating rescue efforts, officials said

Officials responded to the crash around 5:40 p.m. in the area of Rothbury Drive and Goshen Road in Montgomery County near Gaithersburg, 24 miles northwest of Washington, D.C.

‘The company is assessing damage and contingency opportunities to restore service to impacted customers,’ a Pepco spokesperson said. 

‘Pepco is working closely with Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services and is awaiting clearance to the scene before crews can begin work to stabilize the electric infrastructure and begin restoring service.’

Montgomery County Department of Police is asking people to avoid the area of the crash as there are still live wires.

The FAA released the following statement: 

‘This information is preliminary and subject to change.

A single-engine Mooney M20J crashed into wires near Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md., around 5:40 p.m. local time today. Two people were on board. The aircraft departed from Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide additional updates.

The registration number is N201RF. You can look up the aircraft by its registration number on this webpage.

Neither agency identifies people involved in aircraft accidents.’

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