NAfter almost seven hours, rescue workers on Sunday evening were able to free a pilot and his passenger from a small plane that was hanging on a power pole in Gaithersburg, northwest of Washington. According to the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States (FAA), it was initially unclear under what circumstances the single-engine machine manufactured by Mooney got stuck at a height of around 35 meters.
Elaborate rescue operation
The 65-year-old pilot and the 66-year-old passenger were taken to the hospital with injuries, some of them serious. In addition to fractures from the impact, the two also suffered severe hypothermia during the hour-long rescue attempts at around ten degrees. Montgomery County Fire Department Chief Scott Goldstein said the rescue was protracted because crews had to secure power lines and stabilize the plane before they could free the pilot and passenger.
The disaster also cut power to more than 120,000 households and businesses in the region. According to the energy supplier Pepco, the damage could be repaired by early Monday morning. The schools in the district remained closed on Monday.
The plane took off from New York on Sunday evening. According to initial reports, it crashed into the power pole as the pilot was heading for the runway at Montgomery County Airpark about four miles northeast of Gaithersburg, Maryland.
