Franklin, Tennessee (wkrn) – The pilot who died when a civilian plane collided with a business jet at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona has been identified as 78-year-old Joie Vitosky, according to the Scottsdale Police Department.
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, Vitosky has been certified as a flight engineer since 1978 and a pilot since 2019.
Vitosky, a native of Okema, Oklahoma, joined the Marines because he wanted to fly in his early 20s. Associated Press. He flew a helicopter in Vietnam in 1969, she said. After spending more than a decade with the Marines, he began flying Learjets.
Vitosky was killed after the jet he was piloting had been off the runway and collided with another parking plane after attempting to land the land around 2:45pm on Monday. Airport coordinator Kelli Kuester suspected that the jet's landing gear had broken down before running from the runway.
The plane carried four people, two pilots and two passengers. Three other people on Jet were said to have been injured. Quester said two of them were taken to a local trauma centre, with one in stable condition at another hospital.
The crew on the parked plane was not seriously injured, the plane's owner confirmed with the Associated Press.
One of the jets involved in an accident – a Learjet that collided with a plane on the ground – was owned by Mötley Crüe's frontman Vince Neil.
“The pilot was tragically killed. The co-pilot and other passengers were taken to a local hospital,” said the band. Written in a statement Share with Instagram. “Vince was not on the plane. Vince's girlfriend and her friend were injured, although not life-threatening.”
A statement from Neil's lawyer on Monday confirmed that the jet was about to land at Scottsdale Airport as it turned from the runway.
“Mr. Neil's thoughts and prayers go out to all involved. He is grateful for the critical help of all first responders today,” it reads.
Anne Vitosky believes her ex-husband has been flying “for several years” and is happy to die doing what he loved and go as he possibly did He said he believed that.
“His passion was flying,” she added.
The two share three children and four grandchildren.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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