Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil was celebrating his birthday in Florida when his private jet crashed at an Arizona airport, killing a veteran pilot and hospitalizing his girlfriend on Monday.
Neil, who turned 64 on Feb. 8, remained in The Sunshine State while his girlfriend Rain Hannah Andreani flew out to Scottsdale for the Royal Crown Barrel Race competition, his close friend and horse trainer Lance Graves told TMZ.
He wanted to enjoy the beach before his flight – days later on Thursday.
The Learjet 35A, carrying Andreani and her friend Ashley Rosile, suffered a landing gear failure which caused the aircraft to veer off the runway and ram into a parked Gulfstream 200 at Scottsdale Airport.
Pilot and Marine veteran Joie Vitosky, 78, was killed in the crash. He was a certified flight engineer since 1978 and a pilot since 2019, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
“His passion was flying,” his ex-wife Ann Vitosky told The Associated Press.
Another pilot and the two women were injured but survived. Andreani suffered five broken ribs in the crash.
She was supposed to compete but pulled out because of her injuries.
Graves said she needed time to heal physically and emotionally.
Rosile and Andreani were released from the hospital Wednesday, while the co-pilot was not released, AZFamily reported.
Graves posted a photo of himself and Andreani showing support for his friend and paying tribute to Vitosky.
“As we close in on Valentine’s Day, a holiday reserved for love and human connection, please hold those you love close to you, safe in the arms of love. Remember what your knees are for because “this” can all be gone in an instant,” Graves said in the Tuesday Instagram post.
Graves recalled the moment he learned of the plane crash, saying the unexpected phone call left him shocked.
The Oklahoma-based horse trainer revealed he has been friends with Neil for 15 years and first met when Andreani was interested in buying a horse and learning to ride.
“A lot of people don’t know but Vince is a horse person, but he is,” Graves told KPNX.
One of the horses Graves was competing with in the Buckeye competition is owned by the singer and is nicknamed Rosie Neil.
The horse is regarded by Graves as the best one he rides after winning several titles and is the defending barrel racing Triple Crown Senior World Champion.
“We have a lot of fun with her and she is a member of the family now,” he said.
Graves says the idea to have him, Neil and Andreani fly to Arizona was to escape the cold at their homes in Oklahoma and Tennessee, respectively.
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