Cause of deadly Arizona plane crash revealed, deceased pilot identified
2025-02-12
Category: america

Officials in Arizona have revealed that a landing gear failure caused the private jet owned by Vince Neil – the lead singer of Mötley Crüe – to rapidly skid off a runway and slam into a parked private jet on Monday, killing its co-pilot.&nbsp; Three other people were injured in the collision at Scottsdale Airport, including a second pilot as well as Neil’s girlfriend Rain Hannah and her friend. A fifth person who was in the parked jet refused medical attention. Neil was not on the plane. "According to initial reports, the Learjet’s left main landing gear failed upon landing, leading to the collision," the City of Scottsdale said in a statement on its website.&nbsp;"Airport operations staff and emergency personnel from Scottsdale Fire Station 609 responded to the scene within one minute of the collision."  VIDEO SHOWS SPEEDING JET OWNED BY MÖTLEY CRÜE'S VINCE NEIL PLOW INTO PARKED PLANE Wheels belonging to the Learjet could be seen around 100 yards away from the crash site, per&nbsp;Fox 10 Phoenix. The deceased pilot was named as 78-year-old Joie Vitosky, the Scottsdale Police Department said. He was certified as a flight engineer in 1978 and certified as an airline transport pilot in 2019, according to FAA records. Vitosky was&nbsp;originally from Okemah, Oklahoma, and joined the Marine Corps in his early twenties because he wanted to fly, his ex-wife Ann Vitosky told the Associated Press. He became a Marine Corps aviator and flew helicopters in Vietnam in 1969, she said. After spending over a decade with the Marine Corps, he started flying Learjets. She said he died doing what he loved, and he would probably be happy to go the way he did. "His passion was flying," she said.  MÖTLEY CRÜE'S NIKKI SIXX SAYS WYOMING MOVE HAS BEEN ‘FANTASTIC’: ‘CAN'T THINK OF A PLACE I'D RATHER BE’ She said the two share three children and four grandchildren. Dramatic video&nbsp;footage shows the Learjet skidding along the tarmac at high speed with its nose pressed against the concrete before it careens off the runway and then barrels towards a bigger parked private jet, an Israel Aircraft Industries Gulfstream 200. The out-of-control Learjet then strikes the side of the parked Gulfstream with such force that the front of the bigger jet lifts and moves forward a couple of feet.&nbsp; The incident took place at 2:39 p.m. local time, the city said.&nbsp; WATCH: Video shows aftermath of crash involving plane belonging to Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil  "I am extremely grateful to the first responders and airport operations staff on scene today for their swift action and service," Scottsdale Aviation Director Gary P. Mascaro said in a statement. "We offer our deepest condolences to those affected by this tragedy."&nbsp; Scottsdale Fire Capt. Dave Folio said a person was trapped in Neil's jet after the crash, but rescuers were able to free them from the wreckage. The person was transferred to a trauma center in critical condition. Hannah suffered five broken ribs, per TMZ. The two passengers also had dogs on the plane that survived the incident. The two aircraft were separated by rescue crews later on Monday. Images from the scene show the cockpit area of the Learjet almost completely caved in on its left-hand side with a red tarp over it.&nbsp; Eyewitness Gordan Johnson, who has worked for 35 years in aviation, told Fox 10 that he saw the front landing gear collapse and then watched the jet slide off the runway to the left.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The plane was coming from Austin, Texas when it crashed. The jet is registered to Chromed in Hollywood, Inc - a Wyoming-based company – that lists Neil as its director, according to records reviewed by Fox News Digital. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it is investigating the crash. Scottsdale Airport announced the runway was reopened at 10:38 p.m. on Monday. Fox News’ Stepheny Price, Lorraine Taylor and The Associated Press contributed to this report.&nbsp;