Small plane caught in power lines after crash, passengers OK

GAITHERSBURG, Md. (AP) — A small plane crashed into and got stuck in live power lines Sunday evening in Maryland, causing widespread power outages in the surrounding county as officials tried to extricate the plane.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many people were aboard. Pete Piringer, chief spokesperson for the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service, initially tweeted that two people were on the plane. He later posted a video message that said three people were on board and uninjured.

The video showed a small white plane positioned nose up near a power tower. The plane was stuck about 100 feet (30 meters) above the ground, and the transmission lines remained live, complicating rescue efforts, Piringer said.

“Everything is still energized at this time,” he said.

The utility Pepco reported that about 80,000 customers were without power in Montgomery County.

The crash took place in Gaithersburg, a small city about 24 miles (39 kilometers) northwest of Washington, D.C.

Piringer didn’t state a suspected cause for the crash.