Three Critical After Plane Crashes on Md. Highway
Sept. 03--Maryland State Police said three people were injured when a small plane had trouble after takeoff and crashed Monday along Route 50 in Prince George's County, causing a massive traffic backup of motorists heading home from ocean resorts.
Police said the single engine, four-seat aircraft appeared to have mechanical problems and crashed along westbound Route 50 near Freeway Airport in Bowie.
Prince George's County Assistant Fire Chief Alicia Francis said the plane went into the trees along the slow shoulder, but no one on the ground was injured. The three people aboard the plane were trapped temporarily. Police said a woman suffered life-threatening injuries and two men were in critical condition.
As of Tuesday morning, state police had not identified the crash victims and their conditions were unknown. The Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately return calls seeking additional information.
The highway was closed in both directions for a time just as Labor Day weekend travelers returned from the Eastern Shore. At one point, the backup extended 19 miles.
Witnesses to the crash stopped and rushed to the plane in an effort to help the three occupants of the plane that were trapped inside. Firefighters had to cut off the roof of the plane to gain access to the victims.
"I travel this road everyday and have seen the planes taking off and landing and always worried about how low they are flying over the roadway," witness Andrew Fuller told The Bowie Blade-News. "It's just miracle that no cars were hit."
Monday's crash was the second at Freeway Airport in the last two weeks. A single-engine Cessna Skyhawk landed upside down in a cornfield Aug. 24 after experiencing problems during takeoff. The four passengers escaped the plane unharmed.
Two people were killed in an accident at the airport Feb. 22, 2006. Heavy snow had obstructed the vision of the pilot, causing the crash. One passenger survived.
The Bowie airport, active since 1961, mostly rents aircrafts to private pilots.
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