Plane caught in power lines after crash in U.S., crews work to rescue 2 occupants
A small plane rests on live power lines after crashing, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, in Montgomery Village, a northern suburb of Gaithersburg, Md. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
GAITHERSBURG, Md. -
Two people were rescued early Monday more than six hours after their small plane crashed into live power lines, causing widespread outages in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said the plane got stuck in the lines about 100 feet (30 meters) above the ground at around 5:40 p.m. Sunday. Responders secured it to the tower at 12:16 a.m. Monday, and the first occupant was removed from the plane at 12:25 a.m. The second occupant was out at 12:36 a.m.
Maryland State Police identified them as pilot Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington, D.C., and passenger Janet Williams, 66, of Marrero, Louisiana. Both suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries and that hypothermia had set in while they waited to be pulled from the plane, Goldstein said.
The single-engine Mooney M20J hMad departed White Plains, New York, and crashed into a power line tower near Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The FAA, National Transportation Safety Board and Maryland State Police are investigating.
Utility contractors had to disconnect the high-tension wires to make it safe for rescuers to stabilize the plane.
The utility Pepco had reported that about 120,000 customers were without power in Montgomery County, but most of them, outside of the crash site, had their electricity restored before the people were pulled from the plane.
The Montgomery County Public School system tweeted late Sunday night that its schools and offices would be closed Monday due to the outage's impact on safety and school operations.
Goldstein said it could take days to remove the plane and reconnect the power lines.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quake deaths pass 5,000 as Turkiye, Syria seek survivors
Rescuers raced Tuesday to find survivors in the rubble of thousands of buildings brought down by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and multiple aftershocks that struck eastern Turkiye and neighboring Syria, with the discovery of more bodies raising the death toll to more than 5,000.
Will Biden's second state of the union mark a less protectionist approach to Canada?
A new poll suggests a majority of Canadians still see the United States as their country's closest ally, even in an age of isolationism and protectionist policies.
Thieves cut huge hole in Ottawa restaurant wall to get at jewelry store next door
An Ottawa restaurateur says he was shocked to find his restaurant broken into and even more surprised to discover a giant hole in the wall that led to the neighbouring jewelry store.
New details emerge ahead of Trudeau-premiers' health-care meeting
As preparations are underway for the anticipated health-care 'working meeting' between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada's premiers on Tuesday, new details are emerging about how the much-anticipated federal-provincial gathering will unfold.
Why wasn't the suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down over Canada?
Critics say the U.S. and Canada had ample time to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon as it drifted across North America. The alleged surveillance device initially approached North America near Alaska's Aleutian Islands on Jan 28. According to officials, it crossed into Canadian airspace on Jan. 30, travelling above the Northwest Territories, Alberta and Saskatchewan before re-entering the U.S. on Jan 31.
Mendicino: foreign-agent registry would need equity lens, could be part of 'tool box'
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says a registry to track foreign agents operating in Canada can only be implemented in lockstep with diverse communities.
Quebec minister 'surprised' asylum seekers given free bus tickets from New York City
Quebec's immigration minister says she was 'surprised' to learn the City of New York is helping to provide free bus tickets to migrants heading north to claim asylum in Canada.
Vaccine intake higher among people who knew someone who died of COVID-19: U.S. survey
A U.S. survey found that people who had a personal connection to someone who became ill or died of COVID-19 were more likely to have received at least one shot of the vaccine compared to those who didn’t have any loved ones who had been impacted by the disease.
opinion
opinion | Don Martin: Alarms going off over health-care privatization? Such an out-of-touch waste of hot political air
The chances Trudeau's health-care summit with the premiers will end with the blueprint to realistic long-term improvements are only marginally better than believing China’s balloon was simply collecting atmospheric temperatures, Don Martin writes in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, 'But it’s clearly time the 50-year-old dream of medicare as a Canadian birthright stopped being such a nightmare for so many patients.'
Canada
-
N.W.T to complete curriculum transition by 2028, a 'sad commentary' for Alberta
After using Alberta's education curriculum since the 1950s, the Northwest Territories has outlined the timeline it will use to pivot toward British Columbia's program of studies.
-
Thieves cut huge hole in Ottawa restaurant wall to get at jewelry store next door
An Ottawa restaurateur says he was shocked to find his restaurant broken into and even more surprised to discover a giant hole in the wall that led to the neighbouring jewelry store.
-
Why wasn't the suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down over Canada?
Critics say the U.S. and Canada had ample time to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon as it drifted across North America. The alleged surveillance device initially approached North America near Alaska's Aleutian Islands on Jan 28. According to officials, it crossed into Canadian airspace on Jan. 30, travelling above the Northwest Territories, Alberta and Saskatchewan before re-entering the U.S. on Jan 31.
-
'Buildings are broken': Calgary man in Turkiye describes disaster scene post-earthquake
Calgarians at home and abroad are reeling in the wake of a massive earthquake that struck a war-torn region near the border of Turkiye and Syria.
-
Canada 'stands ready' to help after deadly earthquake rocks Turkiye, Syria: Trudeau
Canada is ready to help in the aftermath of a disastrous earthquake that hit Turkiye and Syria, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday, as authorities in those countries reported that more than 3,400 people had died and thousands more were injured.
-
Strongest earthquake to hit Buffalo in decades causes 'surreal' rumbles in southern Ontario
A 3.8-magnitude earthquake that struck near Buffalo, N.Y. Monday morning was felt in southern Ontario, officials say.
World
-
Quake deaths pass 5,000 as Turkiye, Syria seek survivors
Rescuers raced Tuesday to find survivors in the rubble of thousands of buildings brought down by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and multiple aftershocks that struck eastern Turkiye and neighboring Syria, with the discovery of more bodies raising the death toll to more than 5,000.
-
White House: Improved surveillance caught Chinese balloon
U.S. officials said Monday that improvements ordered by President Joe Biden to strengthen defences against Chinese espionage helped to identify last week's spy balloon -- and to determine that similar flights were conducted at multiple points during the Trump administration.
-
China says will 'safeguard interests' over balloon shootdown
China said Tuesday it will 'resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests' over the shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon by the United States, as relations between the two countries deteriorate further. The balloon prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a highly-anticipated visit to Beijing this week that had offered slight hopes for an improvement in relations.
-
The world's deadliest earthquakes since 2000
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook Turkiye and Syria on Monday, killing thousands of people. Here is a list of some of the world's deadliest earthquakes since 2000.
-
N. Korean leader orders military to improve war readiness
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered his military to expand its combat exercises and strengthen war preparedness as he looks to escalate an already provocative run in weapons demonstrations in the face of deepening tensions with its neighbors and Washington.
-
Report: 146 NYC police officers committed misconduct in 2020 George Floyd protests
Nearly 150 New York City police officers committed misconduct, including using excessive force, while responding to the 2020 protests over the killing of George Floyd, according to a report released Monday by a civilian review board.
Politics
-
Will Biden's second state of the union mark a less protectionist approach to Canada?
A new poll suggests a majority of Canadians still see the United States as their country's closest ally, even in an age of isolationism and protectionist policies.
-
New details emerge ahead of Trudeau-premiers' health-care meeting
As preparations are underway for the anticipated health-care 'working meeting' between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada's premiers on Tuesday, new details are emerging about how the much-anticipated federal-provincial gathering will unfold.
-
Mendicino: foreign-agent registry would need equity lens, could be part of 'tool box'
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says a registry to track foreign agents operating in Canada can only be implemented in lockstep with diverse communities.
Health
-
Vaccine intake higher among people who knew someone who died of COVID-19: U.S. survey
A U.S. survey found that people who had a personal connection to someone who became ill or died of COVID-19 were more likely to have received at least one shot of the vaccine compared to those who didn’t have any loved ones who had been impacted by the disease.
-
2 B.C. cities have the longest average wait times for walk-in clinics in Canada
The average wait time for walk-in clinics in British Columbia is more than double the national average, according to online clinic tracker Medimap.
-
New study highlights increasing prevalence of muscle dysmorphia among Canadian boys, young men
Canadian researchers are drawing attention to the increasing prevalence of 'a pathological pursuit of muscularity' among Canadian boys and young men, with a new study that found one in four were at risk of developing what's known as muscle dysmorphia.
Sci-Tech
-
Why wasn't the suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down over Canada?
Critics say the U.S. and Canada had ample time to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon as it drifted across North America. The alleged surveillance device initially approached North America near Alaska's Aleutian Islands on Jan 28. According to officials, it crossed into Canadian airspace on Jan. 30, travelling above the Northwest Territories, Alberta and Saskatchewan before re-entering the U.S. on Jan 31.
-
Google opens Bard chatbot to test users, plans more AI for search
Google parent Alphabet is planning to launch a chatbot service and more artificial intelligence for its search engine as well as developers, making a riposte to Microsoft in a rivalry to lead a new wave of technology.
-
Pakistan blocks Wikipedia, says it hurt Muslim sentiments
Pakistan's media regulator said Monday it blocked Wikipedia services in the country for hurting Muslim sentiment by not removing purportedly blasphemous content from the site. Critics denounced Islamabad's action, saying it was a blow to digital rights.
Entertainment
-
Everyone seemed to love the Grammys ... except Ben Affleck
Sunday night's 2023 Grammy Awards was a history-making show filled with dynamic performances from iconic musical artists. And through it all, Ben Affleck looked miserable.
-
Salman Rushdie releases new novel six months after stabbing attack
Salman Rushdie's new novel 'Victory City' will be published on Tuesday, nearly six months after a man repeatedly stabbed the writer onstage during a lecture in New York state in what was widely condemned as an attack on freedom of expression.
-
Hearing reset in 'Dances With Wolves' actor sex abuse case
The bail hearing was postponed Monday for a Native American former 'Dances With Wolves' actor who is accused of sexually abusing and trafficking Indigenous girls.
Business
-
Google notifying Canadian employees impacted by global layoff of 12,000 workers
Google says Canadian employees affected by recently announced job cuts are being told today whether they have been laid off.
-
Big tech job cuts keep coming; Dell latest to trim headcount
The tech industry started the year with a wave of job cuts, around 50,000 in January alone, and there doesn't appear to be any let up this month. Here's a look at some of the companies that have announced layoffs so far.
-
Dell to slash over 6,000 jobs amid 'uncertain market future'
Dell Technologies Inc is cutting about 6,650 jobs, or 5 per cent of its global workforce, as it struggles with a slump in the personal computer market and braces for a potential recession.
Lifestyle
-
US$747M Powerball jackpot up to 9th-largest as drawing nears
A US$747 million Powerball jackpot will be up for grabs Monday night for players willing to risk $2 against the long, long odds of winning the big prize.
-
Tiny wines find home in B.C.'s market, as Canadians consider reducing consumption
Wine lovers have growing options on the shelf to enjoy their favourite beverage as producers in B.C. offer smaller container sizes.
-
'Natural power': 17-year-old undefeated Quebec boxer gears up for Canada Games
She started throwing punches to get exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now 17-year-old Talia Birch is gearing up to compete in the Canada Games as it opens up to female boxers for the first time
Sports
-
Former Chelsea forward Atsu rescued after Turkiye earthquake
Former Chelsea and Newcastle forward Christian Atsu was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building following the deadly earthquake that struck Turkiye, the Ghana Football Association said in a Twitter post Tuesday.
-
Putin honours skating coach in Kamila Valieva Olympic case
Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded figure skating coach Eteri Tutberidze one of the country's highest honours Monday, nearly a year after a doping case involving one of her skaters overshadowed the Winter Olympics.
-
Manchester City accused of misleading Premier League over finances
Manchester City was accused by the Premier League on Monday of providing misleading information about its finances over a nine-year period when the club was attempting to establish itself as a force in English and European soccer following its takeover by Abu Dhabi's ruling family.
Autos
-
Renault, Nissan boards agree to equalize mutual stakes
Automakers Renault and Nissan on Monday formalized their reboot of a relationship that had grown rocky, culminating in the spectacular fall of top executive Carlos Ghosn, who had led successful turnarounds at both companies before his arrest and daring escape.
-
Use of electric vehicles associated with fewer asthma-related ER visits on a local level, study shows
New research suggests that cutting fossil fuel emissions by adopting electric vehicles can improve air quality and potentially reduce respiratory problems in communities. But these benefits may not apply to all neighbourhoods in the same way.
-
Super Bowl draws epic air show of private planes to Phoenix
Former NFL player Jim Bob Morris is heading to the Super Bowl in Phoenix from Bloomington, Illinois, in a newly refurbished set of wheels. His ride has new paint, new seating and even a new bathroom.
