'Hero' MoCo Parks Employee Honored After Gaithersburg Plane Crash

GAITHERSBURG, MD — Montgomery County Parks manager Tom Baker was honored by county officials Thursday for his "heroic efforts" when a small plane crashed in Gaithersburg last month.

Baker, who has worked for Montgomery Parks for more than 18 years and also serves as a volunteer deputy fire chief, was presented with a certificate of appreciation at this week's Montgomery County Planning Board meeting for helping the two victims involved in the crash.

"Our employees demonstrate their dedication to serving Montgomery County residents every day, but Mr. Baker’s actions clearly go above and beyond,” Montgomery Parks Director Mike Riley said in a statement. "We are very proud of his courageous efforts, which ultimately helped prevent a tragedy."

On Nov. 27, a small plane carrying a pilot and passenger crashed into power lines during its descent before slamming into a power transmission tower near Goshen Road and Rothbury Drive, NBC Washington reported.

The pilot and passenger were trapped 100 feet in the air for hours. The crash also caused thousands of homes and businesses to lose power.

Baker was dispatched to the scene of the crash and was in charge of communicating with the pilot. He was tasked with keeping the pilot calm and up-to-date on rescue efforts.

Baker said the rescue took about 7 hours.

"In all my 27 active years as a volunteer, I have never responded to such a call," Baker said. "This is in fact a once in a lifetime incident."

The pilot and passenger are recovering from the crash, officials said.