Maryland plane crash: Remarkable images show rescue efforts to save passengers aboard plane that crashed into power lines in Maryland

Remarkable images show the efforts undertaken to rescue two people from a small plane in the US state of Maryland, several hours after it crashed into power lines.

The two men were taken to hospital after the incident in Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, which caused widespread power outages in the surrounding area.

The men, identified by Maryland State Police as pilot Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington, DC, and passenger Jan Williams, 66, of Louisiana, were rescued from the plane that was stuck about 100ft above the ground.

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Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said the plane was secured to a pylon at 12.16am and the first occupant was removed from the plane at 12.25am.

First responders work to rescue aircraft passengers after the small plane crashed and became stuck in live power lines, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, in Montgomery Village, a northern suburb of Gaithersburg, Md. Both occupants were successfully rescued. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)First responders work to rescue aircraft passengers after the small plane crashed and became stuck in live power lines, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, in Montgomery Village, a northern suburb of Gaithersburg, Md. Both occupants were successfully rescued. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
First responders work to rescue aircraft passengers after the small plane crashed and became stuck in live power lines, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, in Montgomery Village, a northern suburb of Gaithersburg, Md. Both occupants were successfully rescued. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

The second occupant was extricated at 12.36am.

Both men suffered “serious injuries” from the crash, and hypothermia was also an issue, the fire chief said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the single-engine plane, which had departed White Plains, New York, crashed into a power line tower near Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, a city of 69,000 people about 24 miles north-west of Washington, DC. at around 5.40pm on Sunday

Video footage showed a small white plane positioned with its nose up near a pylon.

In this photo provided by Montgomery County Fire and Rescue, a small plane rests on live power lines after crashing, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, in Montgomery Village, a northern suburb of Gaithersburg, Md. (Pete Piringer/Montgomery County Fire and Rescue via AP)In this photo provided by Montgomery County Fire and Rescue, a small plane rests on live power lines after crashing, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, in Montgomery Village, a northern suburb of Gaithersburg, Md. (Pete Piringer/Montgomery County Fire and Rescue via AP)
In this photo provided by Montgomery County Fire and Rescue, a small plane rests on live power lines after crashing, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, in Montgomery Village, a northern suburb of Gaithersburg, Md. (Pete Piringer/Montgomery County Fire and Rescue via AP)

The utility firm Pepco had reported that about 120,000 customers were without power in Montgomery County. At the time of the rescue, most of the power had been restored to the county, outside of the crash site.

Mr Goldstein said the next steps will be to secure the plane and remove it before the power lines will be restrung and reconnected.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. .

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