A 78-year-old Marine veteran was identified as the pilot killed when the private jet — owned by Mötley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil — he was flying crashed into another plane on the runway at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona Monday afternoon.
Joie Vitosky, a certified flight engineer and pilot, was pronounced dead at the scene after landing gear on the Learjet 35A owned by the rock star failed, causing the aircraft to ram into a parked Gulfstream 200 upon landing, according to the Scottsdale Police Department.
Vitosky was the only fatal victim of the crash. Another pilot and two passengers on the private flight from Texas were injured but survived.
“I honestly, wholeheartedly believe that the reason those other passengers are alive – it’s because of how he handled it yesterday,” his daughter, Jana Schertzer, told The Arizona Republic Tuesday, adding that her father had 60 years of flying experience.
Neil was not on the flight, but his girlfriend Rain Andreani, who suffered five broken ribs, and her friend were on the plane, in addition to a second pilot — all of whom were taken to the hospital.
Two dogs belonging to the two female passengers also survived the crash. One person was aboard the Gulfstream jet and was not injured.
Vitosky, an Oklahoma native, joined the Marine Corps in his early twenties with a yearning to fly. He later became a Marine Corps aviator who flew helicopters in Vietnam in 1969, his ex-wife Ann Vitosky told The Associated Press.
Following more than a decade of military service, the slain pilot started flying Learjets.
Vitosky has been a certified flight engineer since 1978 and a pilot since 2019, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
“His passion was flying,” his ex-wife said, adding that the father of three died doing what he loved.
Schertzer echoed those remarks while stressing that her father, who also leaves behind two grandchildren, 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 told The Arizona Republic.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner will determine Vitosky’s cause of death.
Harrowing footage captured the moment the rocker’s jet smashed into the other plane, showing it skidding and struggling to come to a stop as it sped down the runway before hitting the parked aircraft.
The Scottsdale Airport was closed to all air traffic Monday but reopened Tuesday morning with the blessing of local officials.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the collision.
“Our hearts go out to his family and friends at this time,” police said, addressing Vitosky’s loved ones.
