America’s deadliest fortnight in aviation in more than 20 years continued this week as a private jet owned by Mötley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil crashed at an Arizona airport. Three people were injured in the incident and the pilot of the plane was killed in the crash on Monday.
A Learjet 35A private jet owned by Neil swerved off the runway and crashed with another aircraft at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona on Monday, reports the Independent. The Mötley Crüe frontman wasn’t onboard the plane when it crashed, but two pilots and two passengers were on the jet during the collision with a parked Gulfstream aircraft.
The pilot was killed in the crash and the three other people onboard were rushed to hospital with injuries that aren’t thought to be life threatening, as the Independent reports:
Scottsdale Fire Department Captain Dave Folio said one person was killed, two were critically injured and one was in stable condition. He did not identify them.
A statement posted to X by Neil’s lawyer said the LearJet owned by the singer was “attempting to land” at the airport when the crash occurred. “For reasons unknown at this time, the plane veered from the runway causing it to collide with a parked plane.”
More “specific details regarding the collision are not available as this is a rapidly evolving situation. 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.”
The Gulfstream aircraft that Neil’s Learjet 35A collided with was empty at the time of the crash, reports Rolling Stone. The National Transportation Safety Board has now launched an investigation and officers were on the scene in Arizona overnight, as the site adds:
Kelli Kuester, the public information officer for the Scottsdale Airport, said during a press briefing that it appears that the plane’s left main gear failed upon landing, resulting in the accident. Kuester said that the National Transportation Safety Board would be taking over the investigation.
“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,” said Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky in a statement Monday evening. “I would also like to thank our first responder community for their quick action and service in this situation.”
The crash in Arizona is the third deadly plane crash in America over the past two weeks. It follows a collision between a passenger jet and military helicopter in Washington D.C., and a crash involving a medical transport plane in Pennsylvania.
The death toll from the three crashes totals 72 people, making this one of the deadliest periods in American aviation since 2001. The spate of incidents has sparked calls for an overhaul of air traffic control in America and even the suggestion from president Donald Trump that these disasters could be the fault of diversity hires, but there’s absolutely no proof to his claims.