Mötley Crüe and Vince Neil have expressed their condolences after a private jet registered to the band’s lead singer crashed, resulting in the death of a pilot.
The tragic incident occurred yesterday afternoon (February 10) when a private aircraft owned by Neil collided with another plane at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona. The jet was arriving from Austin, Texas.
Although Neil was not on board, his girlfriend, Rain Andreani, and a friend were involved in the crash, along with a co-pilot and pilot. Unfortunately, the pilot did not survive the collision.
Mötley Crüe issued a statement regarding the crash via social media, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.
In a post that has since been removed, the band confirmed “a private plane owned by Vince Neil was involved in a crash near Scottsdale, AZ,” noting that “the pilot was tragically killed” while “the co-pilot and other passengers were taken to local hospitals.”
The statement further stated, “Vince was not on the plane. Vince’s girlfriend and her friend suffered injuries, albeit not life-threatening.” It concluded by offering condolences: “While details are still emerging, our hearts go out to the families about the pilot who lost his life and the passengers who suffered injuries.”
The group also mentioned they would “announce a way to help support the family of the deceased pilot – stand by for an announcement very soon.”
Additionally, the band shared a statement from Neil’s representative.
According to the statement: “At 2:39 p.m. local time, a Learjet aircraft Model 35A owned by Vince Neil was attempting to land at the Scottsdale Airport. For reasons unknown at this time, the plane veered from the runway causing it to collide with another parked plane.”
The statement continued, “On board Mr. Neil’s plane were two pilots and two passengers. Mr. Neil was not on the plane. 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,” it added.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is conducting an investigation into the incident. They stated “a Learjet 35A veered off the runway after landing and crashed into a Gulfstream 200 business jet on the ramp at Scottsdale Municipal Airport in Arizona” and mentioned that they were “temporarily pausing flights into the airport” due to the crash.
The Scottsdale airport confirmed that an “accident” had occurred “upon arrival to runway 21.”
“Fire Department is on scene assessing the situation. Scottsdale Airport’s runway is currently closed,” the airport stated.
Airport public information officer Kelli Kuester explained: “A Learjet aircraft on its arrival from Austin veered off the runway and collided with another jet, a Gulfstream 200 aircraft, that was parked. It appears that the left main gear failed upon landing, resulting in the accident.”
Scottsdale Fire Department Captain Dave Folio reported: “We had five patients we treated. One was a fatality, we had two immediate that were transported to local trauma centers, we had one delayed patient and one patient that refused treatment.”
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