1 dead after private jets collide at Scottsdale Airport, officials say

One person was killed and others were injured when a private jet owned by Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil collided with another jet Monday afternoon at the Scottsdale Airport in Arizona, authorities said.

Neil's jet was landing at the airport when it veered off the runway and collided with another parked plane, Neil's representative Worrick Robinson, IV, said in a statement. There were two pilots and two passengers on Neil’s plane, but he was not among them.

“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," Robinson said.

The arriving jet veered off the runway and collided with the Gulfstream 200 jet that was parked on private property, according to Kelli Kuester, aviation planning and outreach coordinator at the Scottsdale Airport. It appeared that the left main landing gear of the arriving jet failed, resulting in the collision, she said.

Kuester said four people were on the arriving jet, which had come from Austin, Texas, and one person was in the parked plane.

Two people injured in the collision were taken to trauma centers and one was in stable condition at a hospital, Scottsdale Fire Department Capt. Dave Folio said. He said they were working to recover the body of the person killed in the collision.

The runway has been closed and will remain closed “for the foreseeable future,” Kuester said.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to everybody involved in this,” Folio said.

Lisa Borowsky, mayor of Scottsdale, released the following statement:

“Today, Scottsdale sadly experienced an aircraft accident at our airport. Based on the information provided thus far, it appears at least one person is dead after two jets collided on the runway at Scottsdale Airport.

The accident happened just before 3 p.m. when a Learjet 35A veered off the runway after landing, according to information provided by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Currently the airport is closed. We are closely monitoring the situation, and we are in touch with airport, police and federal agencies and will update the community as we have further information.

On behalf of the city of Scottsdale, we offer our deepest condolences to those involved in the accident and for those who have been taken to our trauma center for treatment. We will keep all affected by this tragedy in our prayers.

I would also like to thank our first responder community for their quick action and service in this situation.”

The airport is a popular hub for jets coming in and out of the Phoenix area, especially during big sports weekends like the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament, which attracts huge crowds just a few miles away.

The Scottsdale collision comes after three major U.S. aviation disasters in the past two weeks. A commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter collided near the nation’s capital on Jan. 29, killing 67 people. A medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on Jan. 31, killing the six people on board and another person on the ground. And last week a small commuter plane crashed in western Alaska on its way to the hub community of Nome, killing all 10 people on board.