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The 911 call from the pilot who crashed into an electrical tower reveals the tension of a life-or-death rescue

2022-11-30T16:16:04.784Z


The plane descended more than it had to before landing, collided due to lack of visibility and was left hanging more than 100 feet above ground surrounded by cables with a deadly current.


By Chantal Da Silva -

NBC News

Two people were miraculously saved after their small plane crashed Sunday night into a high-voltage electrical pylon in Maryland, dangling 100 feet above the ground.

The publication of the 911 emergency phone call made by the pilot now reveals the circumstances of the crash.

The pilot, Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington, DC, and his partner Jan Williams, 66, of Louisiana, were rescued outside of Gaithersburg.

Although they suffered serious injuries, their lives are not in danger.

Rescue of the plane. Robb Hill / The Washington Post via Getty Images

"I have crashed into a tower northwest of the Gaithersburg airport. It is one of the electrical towers," Merkle explained to the 911 operator who answered him, according to the conversation made public by the Montgomery County police and obtained the affiliate station of NBC News.

"Believe it or not, the aircraft is attached to the tower," he said, "fortunately we don't have much wind. But if any wind picks up, we're lost," said the pilot, trapped with his passenger in the aircraft.

Merkle described what happened before hitting the pylon: "[It was] a visibility problem," he said, "we were looking for the airport, I went down to minimum altitude, and then apparently I went down a little bit more than I was supposed to." should".

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Rescue teams were able to rescue both: "I'm very, very happy that both the pilot and passenger made it out safely," Laurel Manion, the operator who answered the pilot's call, told local NBC News station. in Washington D.C.

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“That was the ultimate goal, and I hope they are doing well,” Manion said in a message to both.

"I wish you good health," he added.

The Mooney M20J single-engine plane was first reported to have crashed about four miles northwest of the Montgomery County Airport at 5:40 p.m. Sunday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Federal officials told a news conference after the incident that the salvage was complicated, as they had to first test all the broken power lines near the wreckage.

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The two men were rescued with two tow trucks, state police said in a statement, and then taken to a trauma center, the Montgomery County Fire Department said.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the accident.

About 120,000 customers were without power late Sunday from the crash, prompting area schools to close Monday.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2022-11-30

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