Private jet skids 300 yards off Colorado runway, sustains severe damage in violent crosswind

A private business jet carrying three people onboard was violently thrown off a Colorado runway Tuesday after a sudden, brutal gust of wind slammed the side of the plane as it landed, officials announced.

The San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office said the plane, which had two pilots and one passenger onboard, skidded roughly "300 yards off the runway" and sustained substantial damage in multiple areas of the aircraft.

The jet lost directional control around 12:15 p.m. at Telluride Regional Airport in western Colorado, the sheriff's office announced later in the afternoon.

"The pilot told deputies that just after the plane's wheels touched down that a strong, gusting-crosswind hit the plane's profile, shoving it off the runway," the authorities said in a post on Facebook. "The plane skidded approximately 300 yards coming to rest off the runway on its collapsed landing gear."

PASSENGERS BAFFLED AND C...