A small jet crashed at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona earlier this week, resulting in one person killed and several others injured. The incident is the latest in a series of aviation accidents that have occurred in the United States in the past few weeks.
According to USA Today, the crash happened at 2:30 p.m. on Monday. A Learjet 35A collided with another stationary plane after veering off the runway. It is believed that the Learjet’s landing gear failed during its descent to the runway. The aircraft in question belongs to Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil, whose girlfriend, along with a few other passengers, were onboard the flight at the time. Neil was not on the plane when the crash happened. While the passengers sustained injuries, none of them were killed. Unfortunately, the pilot of the jet, 78-year-old Joie Vitosky, lost his life in the collision. According to USA Today, Vitosky originally studied to be an engineer before learning to fly helicopters in the military. He served in Vietnam as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps and later utilized his flying capabilities to perform a wide range of tasks for a diverse set of clients. He provided services such as flying Maureen Reagan, the daughter of Ronald Reagan, as well as transporting patients awaiting heart transplants.
Scottsdale Airport, where the accident occurred, is a major hub for private jet traffic coming into Phoenix. According to CNN, its activity recently surged temporarily due to the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament. The airport has also had its fair share of accidents in the past. According to USA Today, since 1970, the area has seen fifteen incidents in which people have died. Before Monday’s crash, the most recent one took place in 2018, when a small aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, resulting in six deaths.
The crash comes at a bad time for aviation in the United States, as the country has faced a wave of fatal accidents in the past month. According to The Associated Press, three major accidents have happened in the U.S. recently. In Washington, D.C., another collision occurred when a commercial airliner collided with a military helicopter, killing 67 people. More recently, smaller crashes in Philadelphia and Alaska resulted in another sixteen deaths. In total, 84 people have lost their lives in U.S. aviation accidents in the past two weeks alone.
According to CNN, the airport has reopened its runways following a temporary closure on Monday. The airport is also cooperating with the proper authorities in the crash investigation to gain full closure on the incident.
