Plane gets caught in power lines with crew on board and cuts power to thousands of people
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In images posted to Piringer's Twitter account about an hour after the crash, the plane is seen caught in power lines as Maryland firefighters carried out rescue efforts.
A small plane from Westchester County Airport crashed into a transmission tower in Maryland on Sunday night , stranding passengers for hours while suspended nearly 100 feet in the air.
The collision, which occurred about 40 miles southwest of Baltimore and 15 miles outside of Washington DC, caused power outages throughout Montgomery County.
Update - IAO Rothbury Dr & Goshen Rd, police & @mcfrs fire activity, power out in area, small plane crash into power lines, trapped occupants of the plane are ok, tens of thousands of people reportedly without power @MontgomeryCoMD, this includes many traffic lights/signals https://t.co/3WwL1k6PhC pic.twitter.com/ZsiXLamNGO
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) November 28, 2022
The crash sent the plane into a tower near Rothbury Drive and Goshen Road, according to Pete Piringer, public information officer for the county fire department.
Both the plane and its passengers remained trapped in the tower since 8:00 p.m. on Sunday.
“The power lines are still energized, so we are waiting for the power company to shut them down,” Piringer said. “Then we can get them out of there.”
Piringer, who said the fire department is in contact with the plane's pilot as well as “one or two passengers” who remain stranded, said the crash is causing power outages throughout the county.
It's unclear how many people were affected by the outages, but statewide, about 80,000 customers were without power, according to PowerOutage.us. Authorities have also closed roads around the area while a technical rescue team waits to act.
Due to power outages, some traffic lights and elevators in the area are no longer working. Some residents report flickering lights.