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Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Yahoo
Preliminary report: Landing gear appeared to fail in fatal Scottsdale plane crash
The National Transportation Safety Board released the preliminary report on its investigation into a deadly plane crash at Scottsdale Airport, giving new details into what may have transpired. The report lays out how Learjet 35A owned by Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil crashed into another aircraft after its landing gear appeared to fail, causing it to veer off the runway, killing a pilot and injuring several others. According to the report, the plane departed from Florida on Feb. 10 before stopping to refuel in Austin, Texas. It then took off for Scottsdale where the fatal collision occurred. Investigators reviewed a video from surveillance cameras and witnesses which showed the plane's left landing gear "trailing aft from its normal position." The report states the plane began veering left, leaving the runway before colliding with a parked Gulfstream G200 at around 2:38 p.m. It added that the Learjet was not equipped with reverse thrusters and its drag chute was not deployed. The airport's emergency response fire truck responded in a little over two minutes and sprayed fire retardant on the Gulfstream about five minutes later while the Scottsdale Fire Department arrived at roughly 2:47 p.m. The airport fire truck later sprayed fire retardant on the Learjet's right engine, which was still running, to shut it down. The report states the right-seated passenger regained consciousness first and woke up the left-seated passenger who was thrown forward in the passenger cabin. The right-seated passenger then used the emergency exit at around 2:48 p.m. and exited the plane carrying two small dogs before turning back to retrieve the other passenger. The report notes that the same plane and flight crew had a "landing mishap" on June 20, 2024, in McAlester, Oklahoma, where the plane landed hard just before getting to the runway and bounced several times, causing both of the left main landing gear's tires to burst. The report states the Learjet's owner hired a mechanic who worked on it for the previous owner to perform a hard-landing inspection. Investigators interviewed the mechanic who said he used a maintenance manual for all the work he performed. It added that the Learjet's flight time and maintenance cycles since the 2024 hard landing took place was unknown. The flight crew did not make any radio calls about the plane's landing gear not working properly. An official cause behind the landing gear's failure likely won't be known until the investigation's final report is published. Such reports can take between one to two years before being made available. Read: Scottsdale crash aviation investigation preliminary report Police identified the fatality as 78-year-old pilot Joie Vitosky. Vitosky's daughter, Jana Schertzer, told The Arizona Republic that Vitosky began flying after joining the U.S. Marine Corps where he served several tours in the Vietnam War. Rain Hannah Andreani, 43, is the only person on board the planes who has been publicly identified other than Vitosky. Andreani is the girlfriend of Mötley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil. Neil owned the Learjet, according to a filing with the Wyoming secretary of state. He was not on board, according to the vocalist's legal representative Worrick Robinson IV, who posted a statement about the crash to the band's social media. The NTSB lists 15 fatal aircraft incidents in the Scottsdale area and four incidents involving a serious injury, with the earliest going back to the 1970s. Two of the serious injuries involved student pilots, with one pilot having a hard landing after the plane's engine lost power and another with a pilot having a forced landing after misjudging their altitude and clearance, according to NTSB reports. The last fatal crash at the Scottsdale Airport was in 2018. A pilot, student pilot and four passengers were killed after the plane crashed shortly after takeoff. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Report: Fatal Scottsdale plane crash had previous 'landing mishap'
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What's next in the Scottsdale plane crash investigation?
As questions continue to swirl over how a routine flight into Scottsdale Airport ended in tragedy on Monday, an aerospace safety expert said the collision between two planes could have been much worse. The crash garnered national headlines after a Learjet 35A — owned by Mötley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil, who was not a passenger — crashed into a parked Gulfstream G200 jet. Airport officials said the Learjet's landing gear appeared to fail, causing the plane to veer off the runway before striking the other jet, killing one and injuring several others. One of the Learjet's pilots, Joie Vitosky, 78, was killed in the crash. Vitosky's daughter, Jana Schertzer, told The Arizona Republic that her father had been a pilot for 60 years, beginning with his service in the U.S. Marine Corps. Cary Grant, an assistant professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University whom the Federal Aviation Administration recognized as a national safety leader, said the Scottsdale Fire Department's quick response to spray the plane down with fire-retardant foam potentially kept what was already a tragedy from becoming even worse. 'It's unfortunate that the brunt of the collision happened up in the nose of the airplane,' Grant said during a phone interview with The Republic. 'But had that not happened, and the aircraft fuel tanks had become ruptured, this could be a completely different story. Sparks and fuel don't go well together.' While most accidents involving a pilot losing control of an aircraft midair are fatal, Grant said the fatality rate is lower if the pilot loses control of the plane while still on the ground, as the plane is typically traveling at a slower speed. 'It's unfortunate that they hit something,' Grant said. 'They had no control once that landing gear failed to maintain their directional control. They were just along for the ride at that point.' Grant said he knew of no information suggesting this jet model was predisposed to landing gear or other issues. 'This airplane has been flying for almost 50 years,' Grant said. 'And with that amount of time and different operators all over the world, most of the accidents that have occurred are all different varieties of sources. So, this is a rather rare occurrence.' Planes meant for general aviation — a term used for non-commercial flights that could involve everything from recreational flying to firefighting or search and rescue — must be inspected annually. 'That annual inspection requires — essentially, it gets taken apart,' Grant said. 'Every aspect of the airplane gets looked at.' Grant said it would likely take one-to-two years before a full report on the cause of the crash would be available. National Transportation Safety Board investigations are exhaustive, he said. The NTSB was expected to release a preliminary report within 30 days with basic facts about what happened, but details about what caused the landing gear to fail and whether it could have been prevented would likely not be available until the full report was published. Grant said such investigations often involve multiple parties, including the manufacturers of the plane's engine and landing gear, air traffic controllers, weather experts and possibly airport staff, given the crash occurred during landing. Officials would likely investigate the training records and backgrounds of the plane's pilots, maintenance records of the plane's landing gear and whether maintenance followed manufacturer recommendations. 'Sometimes — if they start looking at it and say, 'Well, everything was done correctly' — was there metal fatigue or some other issue that might have been latent and waiting to be the cause of the accident,' Grant said. 'Or was there a hard landing sometime in the past that might have contributed to this? So that's part of the reason why it takes so long for the results to come out — because they do a very thorough job.' This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What's next in the Scottsdale plane crash investigation?
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Motley Crue Singer Vince Neil's Jet Crash Cause Revealed After Pilot Dies, Rocker's GF Is Injured
A private jet owned by Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil was involved in a fatal plane crash at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona, and the cause has since been revealed after one pilot died and the rocker's girlfriend, Rain Hannah Andreani, was injured. 'According to initial reports, the Learjet's left main landing gear failed upon landing, leading to the collision [with a Gulfstream G200 jet],' the City of Scottsdale said in a statement on Tuesday, February 11, revealing the Learjet flight was arriving just before 3 p.m. on Monday, February 10, after a trip from Austin, Texas. The private jet containing two pilots and two passengers 'veered off the runway,' the Federal Aviation Administration noted after a video showed the aircraft skidding and having difficulty stopping safely before colliding with a parked Gulfstream G200 jet. Vince, 64, was not onboard the private jet at the time. His girlfriend, Rain, 43, with whom he has been in a relationship for nearly 14 years, suffered five broken ribs, sources close to the musician told TMZ. It is reported that her friend Ashley, who was also onboard the private jet, is being hospitalized as well as the jet's copilot. The dogs the women were traveling with survived the tragic incident. 'There were no injuries on board the Gulfstream, but external damages were sustained to the aircraft,' read a statement from Jet Pros, LLC. 'We are cooperating fully with airport authorities and relevant agencies as they conduct a thorough review of the situation.' All flights were initially suspended at Scottsdale Airport but reopened approximately six hours after the crash. 'More specific details regarding the collision are not available as this is a rapidly evolving situation and there is an ongoing investigation. Mr. Neil's thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved, and he is grateful for the critical aid of all first responders assisting today,' Vince's representative Worrick Robinson said on the rocker's behalf on February 10. 'While details are still emerging, our hearts go out to the families of both the pilot who lost his life and the passengers who suffered injuries,' the band shared after the incident. 'Mötley Crüe will announce a way to help support the family of the deceased pilot — stand by for an announcement very soon.' Fellow rocker Bret Michaels, famed singer from the band Poison, sent his well-wishes to all those impacted. 'My deepest sympathy and condolences to the pilot that just passed away in Scottsdale Airpark and the other pilot who was injured, as well as my thoughts and prayers to our family friend Rain, her friends and all those that were injured in the tragic landing.' Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky also spoke out to express her heartbreak for the family of the pilot who tragically died in the crash. 'On behalf of the city of Scottsdale, we offer our deepest condolences to those involved in the accident and for those who have been taken to our trauma center for treatment. We will keep all affected by this tragedy in our prayers,' she said. 'I would also like to thank our first responder community for their quick action and service in this situation.'
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Vince Neil breaks silence after jet hits parked jet, killing pilot
Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil has released a statement after his jet reportedly hit an aircraft owned by actor Vince Vaughn in Arizona, killing at least one and injuring three others. The heavy metal frontman's Learjet 35 reportedly hit a parked Gulfstream G200 Monday afternoon at Scottsdale Municipal Airport, according to local outlets. 'Mr. Neil's thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved, and he is grateful for the critical aid of all first responders assisting today,' read a statement from his lawyer, Worrick Robinson, IV. The statement noted that the incident occurred 'for reasons unknown at this time,' pending the 'rapidly evolving situation' and 'ongoing investigation.' 'On board Mr Neil's plane were two pilots and two passengers. Mr. Neil was not on the plane,' said Robinson's statement. Neil's manager told TMZ that though he was not aboard, his girlfriend, Rain, and her friend Ashley were on board and hospitalized, the former with five broken ribs, Neil's manager told TMZ. One of that plane's pilots was killed. Early reports of the incident claimed the parked jet's tail number was that of a plane belonging to actor Vince Vaughn, but that has not been independently confirmed. A representative for Vaughn did not immediately respond to the Daily News' request for comment about whether the plane belongs to Vaughn or whether he was on board.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Plane owned by Motley Crue's Vince Neil crashes at Scottsdale Airport; 1 dead, 3 hurt
One person died after an airplane crashed into a parked plane after landing at Scottsdale Airport on Monday afternoon, a Scottsdale Fire Department spokesperson said. Three others were injured — two were in critical condition — and taken to metro Phoenix hospitals. The runway was shut down after the crash that happened around 2:30 p.m. The Scottsdale Fire Department was on the scene with several trucks and had to extricate one person who was trapped in one of the planes. Four people were aboard the Learjet that hit a parked Gulfstream jet, which had one person on board. Officials said it appears the landing gear failed on the plane, which is owned by Motley Crue lead singer Vince Neil, according to a filing with the Wyoming secretary of state. He was not aboard, according to a statement released by a representative for Neil. Two pilots and two passengers were on board, according to the statement. Officials declined to identify those injured or killed. Who is Vince Neil? Motley Crue rockstar owns plane involved in Scottsdale Airport crash Scottsdale fire Capt. Dave Folio said crews from Glendale, Phoenix and Scottsdale responded to the airport. One person refused treatment, he said, but it was not the person who needed extrication. Additional hazmat units inspected the surrounding buildings and cleared them. Gary Mascaro, aviation director for Scottsdale Airport, offered his thoughts and prayers to the crash victims. "It's certainly a tragedy that occurred," Mascaro said. Kellie Kuester, an aviation planning and outreach coordinator for Scottsdale Airport, said Neil's Learjet was arriving from Austin, Texas, and veered off the runway before colliding with a Gulfstream G200 jet that was parked on private property. "It appears that the left-main gear failed upon landing, resulting in the accident," Kuester said. The Gulfstream jet was at the airport since Jan. 31, according to flight records. Kuester said officials with the National Transportation Safety Board were on scene and would take over the investigation. The runway remains closed and Kuester said the airport would share when it's expected to reopen as soon as possible. The last fatal crash at the Scottsdale Airport happened in 2018, when a pilot, student pilot and four passengers were killed after the plane crashed shortly after takeoff. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Plane owned by Vince Neil crashes at Scottsdale Airport, killing 1
