80,000 People Without Power after a Plane Crashed into a Power Line

On the night of Sunday, November 27th, pilot Patrick Merkle, 66, of Washington D.C., and passenger Janet Williams were flying from White Plains, New York to Gaithersburg, Maryland in a small passenger plane.

By GiorgioMarauder

Published 2 years ago in Facepalm

On the night of Sunday, November 27th, pilot Patrick Merkle, 66, of Washington D.C., and passenger Janet Williams were flying from White Plains, New York to Gaithersburg, Maryland in a small passenger plane.


On the night of Sunday, November 27th, pilot Patrick Merkle, 66, of Washington D.C., and passenger Janet Williams were flying from White Plains, New York to Gaithersburg, Maryland in a small passenger plane. At around 5:30 PM they accidentally crashed into a transmission tower as they approached their destination. The crash left over 88,000 without power in the Montgomery County area. 



The two remained there suspended from the electrical tower from 5:30 PM until 12:30 AM as crews worked tirelessly to ground the tower to prevent electrocution and fix the plane to the tower to prevent it from falling.



Miraculously, the two passengers survived with non-life-threatening injuries. One is in the hospital recovering and the other has reportedly been released. PEPCO (The Potomac Electric Power Company) announced they will begin repairs after conducting a full assessment of the damage. It’s not yet known what caused the crash but the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are currently investigating.