TELLURIDE – The pilot who struck a closed snowplow from behind when a twin-engine aircraft landed on a snowy runway at Telluride Regional Airport Wednesday afternoon did not radio the fixed base operator before it happened, according to the San Miguel County Sheriff's Office.
Seven people – five passengers and two crew members – were aboard the Hawker Beechjet 400 when it landed, struck the snowplow and slid off the runway.
The plane was registered out of Mexico, according to the San Miguel County Sheriff's Office, and originated out of El Paso. The people aboard were headed to Telluride for a vacation.
Deputies say the snowplow operator – who also wasn't hurt – didn't see the plane coming. He told investigators the aircraft was going around 100 miles per hour at the time of impact.
The runway was closed at the time. The fixed base operator reportedly did not receive any radio communications from the pilot before he landed the plane.
The San Miguel County Sheriff's Office says it was snowing at the time of the crash, but that visibility was at least seven miles.
The crash prompted a large response from firefighters, EMS and HazMat personnel.
The National Transportation Safety Administration will investigate the incident.
(© 2015 KUSA)
