Authorities in San Miguel County say no one was injured when a small jet crashed into a snowplow Wednesday afternoon while trying to land at the Telluride Regional Airport.
The county sheriff’s office says the airport was closed at the time for snow removal and that the plane’s pilot apparently did not radio operators before heading in.
The crash happened at about 2 p.m. and pictures from the scene showed the plane resting on its belly in the snow.
The plane, a Hawker Beechjet 400 registered in Mexico, was carrying five passengers and two crew. Officials say the flight was en route from El Paso, Texas, on a vacation trip.
“An airport employee told sheriff’s deputies he was driving the snowplow when it was struck from behind and said he never saw the plane coming,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
The employee said he estimated the aircraft’s speed to be about 100 mph at the time of impact. Officials say he too was uninjured.
The county sheriff’s office said there were broken snow showers at the time of the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or @JesseAPaul
