Plane crash wrecks Maryland power lines leading to complex rescue effort

Power supply to 120,000 people disrupted after crash in fog in eastern US state

A light aircraft that crashed into an electricity pylon, near Montgomery County Airpark, Gaithersburg, in the eastern US state of Maryland, on November 27. EPA

Rescue workers attempt to free the aircraft's pilot and passenger. The crash knocked out electricity supplies for tens of thousands of residents in the Gaithersburg area. EPA

Onlookers gather at the scene where the single-engine Mooney M20J was tangled in live power cables more than 33 metres up. AP

Emergency services rescued the pilot and passenger about seven hours after the crash, which occurred around 5.40pm. Officials said they had serious but not life-threatening injuries. EPA

A strip of shops in Montgomery Village, a northern suburb of Gaithersburg, with the stricken aircraft in the background. AP

The crash will be investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board, said officials. Reuters

Two men were left stranded on an electricity tower after their light aircraft crashed into the structure and was left dangling 30 metres above the ground on Sunday evening.

The pilot and one passenger, both of whom were seriously injured, have now been rescued after the power lines were deactivated.

The incident caused chaos in parts of Maryland state, knocking out the power supply to hospitals and schools.

About 120,000 people were left without electricity across the state, the Pepco Utility company, which operates in the Washington area, told CNN. Power was restored on Monday morning, authorities said.

The aircraft, a Mooney M20J propeller plane with a capacity of four, hit the power lines in fog, authorities said. It had been flying from New York to an airfield in Montgomery Village, Maryland.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Chief, Scott Goldstein, said both men were suffering from hypothermia after being rescued in a complex operation that involved ensuring the plane did not fall from its precarious position before the injured pair could be brought down safely.

He said two local hospitals were forced to operate at a limited capacity, after temporarily losing power.