A private plane belonging to Mötley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil crashed at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona on Monday. The collision claimed the life of one of the pilots, and police have revealed his identity.
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Per a report by AZ Central, police have identified the pilot as Joie Vitosky, 78. Jana Schertzer, Vitosky's daughter, told the Arizona Republic over the phone, "I honestly, wholeheartedly believe that the reason those other passengers are alive - it's because of how he handled it yesterday."
Schertzer described her father as a veteran pilot from Texas. He had reportedly been flying for 60 years and joined the U.S. Marine Corps. Vitosky piloted helicopters when he started before switching to jets. His daughter explained that he studied to become an engineer before flying for the Marine Corps. Even after leaving the Marines, Vitosky remained a flying enthusiast and had multiple flight-related jobs afterward. He reportedly flew trips to retrieve parts for companies like Fed-Ex and even transported patients who required transplant surgery.
According to the New York Post, Vitosky's ex-wife said, "His passion was flying," noting that he died doing something he loved. Schertzer also said, "he was in good health and was an extremely capable pilot."
"Instead of, you know, retiring and doing nothing, he did it literally until the day he died," Schertzer added.
Vitosky Was The Only Fatality In The Arizona Plane Crash
The plane, which veered off the Scottsdale Airport runway and crashed into a parked Gulfstream Jet, had four passengers on board. The aircraft's left main landing gear reportedly failed, which led to the disaster.
Vince Neil was not on board, but his girlfriend, Rain Andreani, and her friend Ashley were, as well as the two pilots. Emergency services took the three survivors to hospital after the incident. Andreani reportedly suffered from five broken ribs.
The parked Gulfstream jet was initially thought to be empty. However, according to the Daily Mail, one person was in the plane at the time. Emergency services explained that one person at the scene refused treatment. It's unknown if this was the same person.
Wow, and it wasn't a Boeing aircraft.