A tragic collision at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona has left one person deceased and several injured after a private jet, owned by Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil, veered off the runway while landing and struck another plane on Monday afternoon. According to FOX 7 Austin, Neil's plane, a Learjet 35A arriving from Austin at around 2:45 p.m., experienced a fatal malfunction of its left main landing gear which led to the devastating crash on the runway at the Scottsdale Municipal Airport, subsequently crashing into a parked Gulfstream 200 business jet.
The Federal Aviation Administration remarked that the unexpected landing gear failure was particularly alarming as this type of gear has seen many years of reliable service, and an investigation is underway by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), who are expected to deliver updates within the next 30 days, as per local commercial pilot John Cyrier's insights who mentioned that these aircraft are frequently inspected, every 100 hours of flight, and pilots are mandated to conduct their safety checks before taking to the skies, and yet, this tragic event still unfolded, killing one and injuring three, with the jet owned by Vince Neil, although he was not aboard at the time the crash occurred the pilots and the passengers experienced a scenario no amount of preparation appeared to prevent.
In statements acquired by AP News, Neil's representative, Worrick Robinson IV, expressed that Neil's "thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved," and appreciation was noted for the efforts of all first responders to the scene. Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky also issued a heartfelt statement confirming that she is overseeing the situation while conveying condolences on behalf of the city, adding, "We will keep all affected by this tragedy in our prayers."
The Scottsdale Airport has subsequently closed the runway for the foreseeable future, disrupting what is an otherwise busy hub for private jets entering and leaving the Phoenix area, and this incident is the latest in a series of national air travel misfortunes, coming only weeks after similar tragedies in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and western Alaska, with the cumulative impact of these accidents amounting to a sobering figure of near 85 fatalities across the country leaving communities unnerved and grieving for the losses sustained, and a reminder of the inherent risks that lurk, even behind the routine checks and diligent preparations of aviation. Scottsdale Fire Department Capt. Dave Folio also extended his empathy saying "Our thoughts and prayers go out to everybody involved in this."
