Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil was not on board when a private jet he owned crashed at an airport in Arizona, the band have confirmed. The pilot of the aircraft has died.
The incident, which happened off the runway at Scottsdale Airport on Monday afternoon (10 February) left Neil’s girlfriend Rain Andreani and her friend with injuries that are not thought to be life-threatening.
They were taken to hospital with the jet’s co-pilot, who was also injured.
According to a statement posted to the band’s Instagram, the Learjet aircraft Model 25A was attempting to land when, “for reasons unknown at this time”, it veered from the runway causing it to collide with another parked plane.
More specific details are still emerging. Neil’s manager said that his “thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved”, and he is grateful for the critical aid of all first responders assisting in the incident.
The band are apparently planning to announce a way to help support the family of the deceased pilot.
TMZ reports that Adreani, 43, broke five ribs in the crash, while the dogs she and her friend were travelling with also survived. She and Neil are believed to have been dating for around 14 years, having met in 2011.
Mötley Crüe rose to fame in the early Eighties and are one of the biggest-selling rock bands of all time.
Formed by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by Neil and guitarist Mick Mars, they quickly became known for their hard-partying lifestyles as well as their flamboyant live shows.
In 2019 they were the subject of a Netflix film, The Dirt, based on the controversial book of the same name and starring Iwan Rheon, Douglas Booth, Machine Gun Kelly and Daniel Webber.
Last year, it was announced that the band had signed a new deal with Big Machine Records – they released their latest EP, Cancelled, in October.
The plane crash on Monday follows a string of deadly aircraft incidents in the last two weeks, including a mid-air collision with an army helicopter and a commercial jet near Washington DC on 29 January, which killed 67 people.
Just two days later, six people onboard and another person on the ground were killed when a medical transportation jet crashed in Philadelphia. Last week, a small commuter plan crashed in western Alaska on route to Nome, killing all 10 people on board.
