A tragic incident occurred on a private jet owned by Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil when the aircraft skidded off the runway in Scottsdale, Arizona, resulting in a collision with another business jet. According to a report from the Federal Aviation Administration, one of the pilots, 78-year-old Joie Vitosky, lost his life in the mishap.
Vitosky, whose background included extensive flight experience as a certified flight engineer since 1978 and a pilot since 2019, hailed from Okemah, Oklahoma. His ex-wife, Ann Vitosky, shared that he joined the Marine Corps in his early twenties with the aspiration of flying. After training as a Marine Corps aviator, he flew helicopters during the Vietnam War in 1969, eventually transitioning to operating Learjets a decade later. Ann mentioned that he had been flying for Vince Neil for several years and expressed her belief that he passed away while doing what he loved most—flying. “His passion was flying,” she noted.
The couple had three children and four grandchildren together. The accident occurred when the private jet allegedly experienced landing gear failure, causing it to hit the other jet during landing on Monday afternoon. Along with Vitosky, another pilot and two passengers aboard Neil’s aircraft suffered serious injuries, as stated in the FAA report.
According to a representative law firm, Vince Neil was not present on the jet at the time of the accident. Fortunately, the crew member on the stationary business jet was unharmed and received necessary medical attention, as reported by Jet Pros, the owner of the affected aircraft. The National Transportation Safety Board has initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collision, though the identities of individuals on both jets have yet to be disclosed.
Mötley Crüe briefly mentioned on their social media platform that Neil’s girlfriend and her friend were among those on the flight, but the post was later removed. Bret Michaels, the lead vocalist of Poison, expressed his concern for Neil’s girlfriend, Rain Hannah, and the injured parties, offering prayers and well wishes in a post on social media. “To all my family, friends, and fans, no matter how you’re traveling—plane, train, or automobile—please enjoy yourselves, but travel safely. We need you so that we can continue rocking the world together!” Michaels wrote on Tuesday.
Hannah’s barrel-racing coach revealed in an Instagram post that she and her friend, Ashley, were en route to Scottsdale to join him for an upcoming competition in Buckeye, Arizona. Kelli Kuester, an aviation planning and outreach coordinator at Scottsdale Airport, mentioned that Neil’s jet was arriving from Austin, Texas. Following the collision, the runway was temporarily closed but has since reopened to air traffic.
