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Two Plane Passengers Left Dangling From Power Lines 100 Feet In Air In Maryland

Screenshot of video posted Twitter by Pete Piringer, @mcfrsPIO.

Melanie Wilcox Contributor
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Two people were left dangling from power lines 100 feet in the air Sunday night after a small plane crashed in the area of Rothbury Drive and Goshen Road in the Montgomery Village area of Gaithersburg, Maryland.

The pilot and passenger were rescued and taken to local trauma centers for injuries related to hypothermia, orthopedics, and trauma, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Chief Scott Goldstein said at 1:00 a.m. Monday, according to NBC 4.(RELATED: Two Dead After Plane Crashes Into Car Dealership Parking Lot In Ohio)

The pilot has been identified as Patrick Merkle, 66, of Washington, D.C., and the passenger as Janet Williams, 66, of Marrero, Louisiana, NBC 4 reported. They had left Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York for Montgomery Airpark, NBC 4 reported.

Crews grounded the power lines at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, and stabilized and secured the plane to the tower 45 minutes later. About an hour after the crash, crews brought Williams and Merkle down from the aircraft.

The Mooney M20J plane crash left about 85,000 people in Montgomery County without power for approximately six hours, a PEPCO spokesperson told NBC 4. By Monday morning, power was restored.