SCOTTSDALE, AZ (KTVK/KPHO/Gray News) — The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on the deadly jet crash that happened earlier this month at Scottsdale Airport.
The collision happened on Feb. 10 at approximately 2:38 p.m. when Mötley Crüe rock star Vince Neil’s Learjet 35A veered off the runway after landing and crashed into a Gulfstream G-200 business jet parked at the airport.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot was killed, and the co-pilot and one passenger were seriously injured. Federal officials also said one person inside the Gulfstream also suffered serious injuries.
NTSB investigators say the captain was the plane’s regular and had regularly flown with the co-pilot since June.
According to the report, the flight started in the morning of Feb. 10 in Florida and had stopped in Austin, Texas, to refuel. It approached the Scottsdale Airport around 1:34 p.m., turning to make a final approach onto Runway 21, the airport’s only runway.
Surveillance and cellphone footage showed the plane making the final approach with the rear left landing gear not working correctly and in an “askew” position.
Investigators discovered the plane touched down and began veering left as it began exiting the runway surface. Ultimately, the plane traveled over the safety area islands and crossed a taxiway, colliding with a windsock. Then, it entered another ramp, striking the right side of the parked Gulfstream.
The report stated that say the Learjet wasn’t equipped with thrust reversers and the drag chute was not deployed. Seconds before the collision, the Learjet was traveling at about 50 knots, or approximately 57 mph.
Minutes later, the first fire engine from the airport arrived and began spraying down the Gulfstream with fire retardant. The Scottsdale Fire Department arrived shortly after.
Passengers in the Gulfstream reported that one of the passengers, wearing a seatbelt, regained consciousness and woke up the other passenger, who was thrown forward in the cabin.
The NTSB confirmed the flight crew also did not make any radio calls detailing that their landing gear may not be operating correctly.
The preliminary report details that the same flight crew had reported an issue landing in McAlester, Oklahoma, on June 20, 2024. In that instance, a video revealed a hard landing involving the aircraft, which caused both left main landing gear tires to burst.
The pilot reportedly hired a mechanic, the NTSB says, who claimed to have followed the maintenance manual for all the work performed. However, investigators say a bolt was not correctly installed into the landing gear’s aft trunnion pin, a component that allows the landing gear to rotate and retract.
The report details at least three other events where “Learjet landing gear had disconnected from the airframe because the retaining bolt was not engaged through the aft trunnion pin.”
Additional maintenance was conducted on the plane in December, where a mechanic performed servicing on the maintenance gear and noted that “nothing appeared unusual” but that the left landing gear “took an excessive amount of grease.”
The final accident report is expected to be released within a year.
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