Three men aboard a twin-engine plane apparently escaped unharmed after it crashed in St. Mary's County Thursday afternoon.
Authorities said they were called to St. Mary's Regional Airport just before 1 p.m. for the report of a crash. Upon arriving at the scene, units found a plane that crashed and caught fire.
Maryland State Police said the plane was landing at the airport when the right landing gear apparently locked up upon touchdown, causing the plane to give way on the right.
"Did not see anything wrong except that as he was landing, he basically touched to the ground and it tilted to the right side and burst into flames," said witness Arie Krondfeld.
Police said the pilot, copilot and passenger never noticed anything wrong until it was too late to save the plane. Fortunately, all the men on board were able to get out uninjured.
"This could have turned very ugly, obviously," said State Police Lt. Brian Ceedar. "The pilot was able to regain control of the aircraft. It was fishtailing initially, and he was able to regain control of it and bring it to a safe stop. And again, all three of them were able to exit without any serious injuries."
The plane left the airport one hour before the crash. The three men onboard are civilians contracted by the government, News4 's Michael Flynn reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were notified.
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